Wedbush Securities Inc. Buys 2,665 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 40.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,208 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,665 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 423.8% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 3rd. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $64.89 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $65.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.07 and a 200-day moving average of $55.07.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.4773 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46.

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.