Stonegate Investment Group LLC Boosts Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 155.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,415 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Unilever by 981.6% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in Unilever by 598.7% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7.1% during 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 buying an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 493.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,785,000 after buying an additional 918,841 shares during the period. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7,466.0% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 629,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,897,000 after acquiring an additional 621,248 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of 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 research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $57.29. 3,445,671 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,529,437. The company's fifty day moving average is $57.50 and its 200 day moving average is $60.39. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year 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.