Berkshire Bank Boosts Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Berkshire Bank grew its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,613 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 872 shares during the period. Unilever accounts for approximately 0.9% of Berkshire Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Berkshire Bank’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 7.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,547,000 after buying an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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. Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its holdings in Unilever by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,169,000 after purchasing an additional 22,325 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,588,000 after purchasing an additional 63,835 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $57.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.38. 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.