Bell Bank Cuts Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Bell Bank trimmed its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 16.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 94,353 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,912 shares during the quarter. Bell Bank's holdings in Unilever were worth $6,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on UL. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a "strong sell" rating in a research report 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. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $57.40. 2,048,495 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,590,191. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.32. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $142.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.49.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.4755 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.62%.

Unilever Company 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.