Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by GoalVest Advisory LLC

GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,668 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 656 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,221 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Unilever by 249.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 598.7% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 19.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,416,000 after purchasing an additional 668,913 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $57.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.40. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.