Unilever PLC $UL Shares Acquired by Opal Capital LLC

Opal Capital LLC lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 53.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,108 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,595 shares during the period. Opal Capital LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Unilever by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 4,501 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in Unilever by 70.5% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 378,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,141,000 after buying an additional 156,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Unilever by 17.4% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 427,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,155,000 after buying an additional 63,376 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $67.21 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.75 and a 52-week high of $74.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $59.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.30.

Unilever News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Unilever this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying sales rose 5.8% year over year in the second quarter, accelerating from 3.8% in the first quarter and exceeding analysts’ roughly 4.1% expectation. The result marked Unilever’s strongest quarterly volume growth in more than a decade. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year outlook after higher volumes and pricing supported sales. Beauty and personal care, home care and other trusted household brands benefited from resilient consumer demand despite broader geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Wall Street Journal article
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings update prompted a broad rally in Unilever shares, with unusually heavy trading volume indicating strong investor reaction to the improved growth outlook. Yahoo Finance article
• Neutral Sentiment: Unilever’s reported quarterly EPS of $0.92 and revenue of $14.62 billion were listed below consensus estimates of $1.85 and $29.49 billion, respectively. Investors appear to be placing greater weight on underlying sales, volume momentum and guidance; the apparent comparison may reflect differences in reporting or consensus definitions.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever 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.