Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Takes $82.46 Million Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich bought a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,391,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,461,000. Unilever accounts for about 2.1% of Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 141.3% during the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 548.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 668 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 46.3% in the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 79.1% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 736 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $66.81 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $61.78 and a 12 month high of $74.97. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.27.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $0.5547 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%.

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.