Banco Santander S.A. Takes $585,000 Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Banco Santander S.A. acquired a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $585,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Unilever by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,312,000 after purchasing an additional 214,635 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 16.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,180,000 after buying an additional 15,941 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,388,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 236.2% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $58.61 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $61.86 and a 200 day moving average of $59.60. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UL. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.