Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by Creative Planning

Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 295,625 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,718 shares during the quarter. Creative Planning’s holdings in Unilever were worth $19,204,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% during the second 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 during the period. Equity Investment Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 107.1% during the first quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,910,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,091,000 after buying an additional 1,505,233 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after buying an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 598.7% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after buying an additional 1,114,992 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,145,000 after buying an additional 911,443 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $62.31 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $63.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.89.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.4773 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on 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 Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.