Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stake Lessened by OLD Second National Bank of Aurora

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,010 shares of the company’s stock after selling 832 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $151,263,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Unilever by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,672,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,417 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after purchasing an additional 965,173 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 121.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,352,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,568,000 after purchasing an additional 741,363 shares during the period. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 97.9% in the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 1,212,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,770,000 after purchasing an additional 599,759 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UL. Argus upped their price target on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Three 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded up $1.16 during trading on Friday, hitting $57.79. 2,203,933 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,730,156. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $57.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $54.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.13.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were given a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%.

Unilever 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.