Bard Financial Services Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Bard Financial Services Inc. cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 16.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,450 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,000 shares during the quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 4.1% during the second quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its holdings in Unilever by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 17.3% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.2% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Unilever by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on UL. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.97 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $60.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.06.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. 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.