Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by BTC Capital Management Inc.

BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,958 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,943 shares during the period. BTC Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,177 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 981.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Unilever by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,588,000 after buying an additional 63,835 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 598.7% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after buying an additional 1,114,992 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.29 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.35. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.