Argent Trust Co Increases Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Argent Trust Co increased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,062 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Unilever by 14.3% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 164,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,052,000 after purchasing an additional 20,643 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT raised its position in shares of Unilever by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 8,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 27.8% during the 2nd quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 9,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 1,983 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 2nd quarter worth $454,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 43,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $64.39 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $65.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $61.80 and its 200-day moving average is $55.54. The stock has a market cap of $160.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 55.10%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 3rd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.