Cerity Partners LLC Increases Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 22.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 205,049 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 37,255 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $13,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% in the second 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. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company's stock worth $134,868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,216 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 249.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company's stock worth $98,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 598.7% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company's stock worth $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 493.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company's stock worth $71,785,000 after purchasing an additional 918,841 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $58.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,006,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,587,977. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.73 and a 200-day moving average of $59.69.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend yield of 3.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on UL. UBS Group raised Unilever to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.