Hsbc Holdings PLC Trims Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 96.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,152 shares of the company’s stock after selling 154,044 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,773,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,261,000 after buying an additional 91,049 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $268,704,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,616,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,526,000 after purchasing an additional 323,393 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Unilever by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,067,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,625,000 after purchasing an additional 942,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Unilever by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,608,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,586,000 after purchasing an additional 339,997 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $62.35 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.75 and a 12 month high of $74.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $58.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, July 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.