Buffington Mohr McNeal Boosts Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Buffington Mohr McNeal increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 27,215 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 354 shares during the quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $151,263,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Unilever by 3.3% in 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 last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after buying an additional 965,173 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 121.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,352,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,568,000 after buying an additional 741,363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 97.9% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 1,212,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,770,000 after buying an additional 599,759 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $54.82. 1,673,758 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,764,103. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.74. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $56.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $0.4556 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Argus lifted their price objective on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Redburn Atlantic raised Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

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.