Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Sells 1,493 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,273 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,493 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $151,263,000. Equity Investment Corp raised its holdings in Unilever by 107.1% during the 1st quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,910,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,091,000 after buying an additional 1,505,233 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position 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 buying an additional 1,114,417 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 9.8% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Unilever by 121.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,352,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,568,000 after acquiring an additional 741,363 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UL shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Argus raised their price objective on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $63.66 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $63.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $58.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.81.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

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.