Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 161,647 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,300,637 shares of the company’s stock after selling 161,647 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $84,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 42,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,755,000 after buying an additional 5,263 shares during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 7.2% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,647,000 after acquiring an additional 1,713 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 60.0% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 34,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 12,763 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Unilever by 3.6% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 18,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UL. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $57.40 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $62.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

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.