Unilever (NYSE:UL) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $59.14, but opened at $55.33. Unilever shares last traded at $55.60, with a volume of 3,189,160 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Down 4.9 %

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $57.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.38.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 7,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 295,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,204,000 after buying an additional 23,718 shares during the period. Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 37,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,450,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 202.5% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leisure Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.9% during the third quarter. Leisure Capital Management now owns 16,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

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.