Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stock Position Raised by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,539 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Unilever were worth $1,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares in the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its position in Unilever by 0.8% during the second quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,169,000 after purchasing an additional 22,325 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in Unilever by 1,866.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,451,000 after buying an additional 2,027,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after buying an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE UL opened at $59.90 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.84.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%.

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.