Hancock Whitney Corp Buys 606 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 13.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,055 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $278,000 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. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the second quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 16,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 161.4% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 14,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $821,000 after acquiring an additional 9,222 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Unilever by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in Unilever by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 251,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,796,000 after acquiring an additional 13,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Unilever by 3.1% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 7,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $64.91 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.25 and a 200-day moving average of $55.91. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $65.86. The company has a market capitalization of $162.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 54.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever 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.