Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA

Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 348,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,557 shares during the quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA’s holdings in Unilever were worth $22,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 9.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,973,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935,227 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,336,048,000 after purchasing an additional 959,269 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew 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 valued at $342,261,000 after purchasing an additional 91,049 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,001,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,183,000 after purchasing an additional 133,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,293,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,221,000 after buying an additional 17,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE UL opened at $56.02 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.95 and a 12 month high of $74.97. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $67.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.14.

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

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.5547 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Key Stories Impacting Unilever

Here are the key news stories impacting Unilever this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional backing — Artisan Partners publicly supports Unilever’s plan to sell/merge its food unit, which reduces a major investor hurdle and helps validate management’s strategic direction. Artisan Partners backs Unilever’s plan
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic refocus — CEO Fernando Fernandez is steering Unilever back toward health & beauty, an area where he has past success; that refocus supports a higher‑margin, consumer‑brand centric strategy once the Foods unit is separated. Unilever CEO returns to his roots
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal execution and structure — Unilever and McCormick confirmed a cash‑and‑stock combination valuing Unilever’s Foods business (~$44.8B) that creates a large global flavor/foods company. The transaction is transformational but complex; outcomes depend on approvals, integration, and equity dilution. Unilever and McCormick agree food business deal
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism and market reaction — Several analysts called the deal’s value and structure “not compelling,” and markets reacted negatively as investors questioned value creation and dilution risk. That skepticism is pressuring UL shares. Analysts split on Unilever-McCormick deal
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk — A law firm launched an investigation into the proposed McCormick merger, which could signal potential litigation or procedural challenges that might delay or complicate closing. Investor alert investigates merger
• Negative Sentiment: Operational caution — Unilever has instituted a global hiring freeze for at least three months, highlighting near‑term headwinds (geopolitical and inflationary pressures) and signaling management is tightening costs — supportive for margins long term but negative for near‑term growth expectations. Unilever starts global hiring freeze

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on UL shares. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

About Unilever

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.