Oak Ridge Investments LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,946 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,092 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $6,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 16.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $11,694,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company's stock worth $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 236.2% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company's stock worth $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the third quarter valued at $1,388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered 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, two have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $55.68. The company had a trading volume of 3,801,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,047,655. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $57.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.32.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

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.