Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 49,284 shares of the company’s stock after selling 530 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,145,000 after buying an additional 911,443 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,416,000 after acquiring an additional 668,913 shares in the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp raised its position in Unilever by 107.1% during the first quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,910,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,091,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505,233 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its position in shares of Unilever by 0.8% in the second quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,169,000 after purchasing an additional 22,325 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,221 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of UL traded down $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $61.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,512,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,845. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.13. The stock has a market cap of $154.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 55.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on UL shares. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.