Dearborn Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Dearborn Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,108 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 731 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $776,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3,718.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 171,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,321,000 after buying an additional 167,146 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,038,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 43,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,133,000 after acquiring an additional 2,630 shares during the period. Callan Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Unilever by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 231,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,232,000 after buying an additional 91,836 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 3rd. TD Cowen began coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Argus upped their target price on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of UL traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $64.04. 996,151 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,794,112. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.81. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $64.04.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.98%.

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.