Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Drops By 54.0%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, a drop of 54.0% from the January 15th total of 3,000,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,400,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL traded down $3.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $56.01. The company had a trading volume of 9,916,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,640,209. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $57.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.38. Unilever has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $176,806,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 981.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Company 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.