Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,127 shares of the company’s stock after selling 768 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UL. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 423.8% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter worth $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $64.84 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $65.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $61.64 and its 200 day moving average is $55.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

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.