Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $2.52 Million Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 45,787 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,485 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 423.8% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $64.89 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.07. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $65.86.

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 paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have 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 raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded 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 research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Three equities 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.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.