Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stock Holdings Increased by Searle & CO.

Searle & CO. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ICW Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 27,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,349,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 9,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 2,282 shares during the last quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its position in Unilever by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 5,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthTrust Axiom LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. WealthTrust Axiom LLC now owns 8,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Unilever Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of UL traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.87. The company had a trading volume of 2,909,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,896,339. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.61. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $55.77.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.4556 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%.

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.