Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Boosts Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,259 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 884 shares during the quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Unilever by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,672,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,417 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,830,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,051,000 after purchasing an additional 951,446 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,548,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,459,000 after purchasing an additional 329,705 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 19.3% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,416,000 after buying an additional 668,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $151,263,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $65.06 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.16 and a one year high of $65.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.21.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.4773 dividend. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th.

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.