Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Raises Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 42.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,808 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,042 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smart Money Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $233,000. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 428,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,762,000 after buying an additional 112,677 shares during the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 9,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $442,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,716,000 after acquiring an additional 965,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 1.0 %

UL stock opened at $52.66 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $49.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.75.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.00.

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.