Sound Income Strategies LLC Acquires 14,132 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL – Get Rating) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 111,468 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,132 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 305,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,393,000 after acquiring an additional 49,515 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $139,000. Canandaigua National Corp grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 64.8% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Corp now owns 9,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 3,866 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 483,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,193,000 after acquiring an additional 14,577 shares in the last quarter. 10.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Unilever from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. StockNews.com began coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.00.

Unilever Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE UL traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $49.15. The company had a trading volume of 3,939,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,893,251. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $42.44 and a 1-year high of $52.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $50.37 and its 200-day moving average is $48.26.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.4569 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%.

About Unilever

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Unilever Plc engages in the manufacture and sale of consumer goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty and Personal Care, Foods and Refreshment, and Home Care. The Beauty and Personal Care segment offers skin cleansing, hair care, skin care, and deodorants categories. The Foods and Refreshment segment sells ice cream, savory, dressings, and tea.