Trust Co. of Vermont Raises Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,406 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 393.5% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $62.95 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.68. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $157.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.65%.

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.