Optas LLC Has $270,000 Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Optas LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,389 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 438 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position 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 buying an additional 1,114,417 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after purchasing an additional 965,173 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Unilever by 1.8% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,819,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,664,000 after purchasing an additional 67,190 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Group LLC raised its position in Unilever by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,582,000 after purchasing an additional 47,256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Redburn Atlantic raised Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,487,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,202,291. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.16 and a one year high of $56.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $54.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.69.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $0.4556 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%.

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.