Stonegate Investment Group LLC Buys 5,117 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 155.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,415 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares during the quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted 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 worth $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Unilever by 3.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,588,000 after buying an additional 63,835 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 598.7% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $57.52 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.39. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

About Unilever

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.