Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Expands By 106.6%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,240,641 shares, a growth of 106.6% from the July 15th total of 1,084,384 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 5,600,546 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $268,704,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 674.2% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,794,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,208,000 after buying an additional 2,433,625 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,027,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 944.7% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,417,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,679,000 after buying an additional 1,281,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter valued at approximately $67,107,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on UL shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Up 0.0%

Unilever stock opened at $62.12 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $61.28 and its 200 day moving average is $62.16. Unilever has a 52-week low of $54.75 and a 52-week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.92). The business had revenue of $14.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.80 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Unilever will post 3.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.