V Square Quantitative Management LLC Increases Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,772 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Unilever by 423.8% during the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 44,178 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,808,316. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.65 and a 200 day moving average of $53.07. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.16 and a 12-month high of $62.65.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus raised their target price on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.33.

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.