Hancock Whitney Corp Buys Shares of 4,449 Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hancock Whitney Corp purchased a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 4,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 16,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $777,000 after buying an additional 2,544 shares during the last quarter. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 6,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the period. Autumn Glory Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC now owns 61,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,973,000 after purchasing an additional 1,859 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at $2,227,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 167,146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on UL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Argus increased their target price on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.19. The company had a trading volume of 2,002,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,792,932. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.20. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $62.52.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a $0.4773 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%.

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.