Unilever PLC $UL Shares Acquired by Opal Capital LLC

Opal Capital LLC grew its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 53.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,108 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,595 shares during the quarter. Opal Capital LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,773,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,261,000 after buying an additional 91,049 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $268,704,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,616,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,526,000 after acquiring an additional 323,393 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Unilever by 13.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,403,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,915,000 after acquiring an additional 406,610 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Unilever by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,067,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,625,000 after acquiring an additional 942,286 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Unilever Stock Up 9.5%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $67.21 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.30. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.75 and a 1 year high of $74.97.

Key Unilever News

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.

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.