Whipplewood Advisors LLC Takes Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 8,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on UL. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $56.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.93. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

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.