PDS Planning Inc Increases Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

PDS Planning Inc raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,338 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 657 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Unilever were worth $607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter worth about $684,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Unilever by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,312,000 after acquiring an additional 214,635 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 192,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,679,000 after purchasing an additional 27,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 249.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $61.31 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $63.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.90. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

About Unilever

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.