Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Boosts Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,493 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 209 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $522,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 2,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 18,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,746 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 260.6% during the 4th quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 126,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,142,000 after purchasing an additional 91,565 shares during the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 58,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,837,000 after buying an additional 3,262 shares during the period. Finally, Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in Unilever by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 303,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,693,000 after buying an additional 3,169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $64.89 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $65.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.00.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. TD Cowen began coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.