Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,299 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 393.5% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 54.3% during the 2nd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $57.40 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.31.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.4755 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.