New York State Common Retirement Fund Grows Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 234.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 242,094 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 169,793 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Unilever were worth $15,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UL. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 423.8% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 393.5% in the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Webster Bank N. A. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 54.3% in the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at $35,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Trading Up 0.6 %

UL opened at $61.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $63.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.00. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. This is a positive change 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.