Sei Investments Co. Grows Stake in Unilever PLC $UL

Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 432,737 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,367 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $24,653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the first quarter worth $29,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Unilever Price Performance

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

Key Stories Impacting Unilever

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.

About Unilever

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.