Columbus Macro LLC Purchases 15,745 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Columbus Macro LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 58.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,656 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,745 shares during the period. Columbus Macro LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after buying an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Unilever by 3.7% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 493.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,785,000 after purchasing an additional 918,841 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on UL. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $57.74 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.39. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Profile

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.