West Family Investments Inc. Buys 375 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

West Family Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,491 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Unilever by 423.8% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 393.5% in the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Unilever in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Webster Bank N. A. grew its position in Unilever by 54.3% in the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Unilever in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $57.61 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.49. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.