Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 17,877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marino Stram & Associates LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 9,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc grew its position in shares of Unilever by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 6,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 21,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Baystate Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 948 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on UL. Argus lifted their price target on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.00.

Unilever Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of UL traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $56.22. The stock had a trading volume of 3,479,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,327,601. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.10. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $56.46.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%.

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.