Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC

Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 336,467 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,462 shares during the quarter. Unilever accounts for about 2.0% of Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $22,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Unilever by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 4.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in Unilever by 39.7% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 15,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $969,000 after purchasing an additional 4,501 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Unilever by 70.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 378,313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,141,000 after purchasing an additional 156,404 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Unilever by 17.4% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 427,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,155,000 after purchasing an additional 63,376 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, May 18th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $59.02 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $74.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.22.

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.