Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Cohen Investment Advisors LLC

Cohen Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $151,263,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,672,275,000 after buying an additional 1,114,417 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after acquiring an additional 965,173 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 121.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,352,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,568,000 after acquiring an additional 741,363 shares during the period. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 97.9% in the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 1,212,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,770,000 after acquiring an additional 599,759 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $54.99. The stock had a trading volume of 921,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,062,526. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.82. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $56.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $0.4556 dividend. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Argus raised their price target on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

About Unilever

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.