Opes Wealth Management LLC Acquires 527 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Opes Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 16.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,770 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. Opes Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1,351.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 161,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,036,000 after acquiring an additional 150,107 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Unilever by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 37,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,141,000 after buying an additional 8,344 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Unilever by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $892,000 after buying an additional 3,243 shares in the last quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Hickory Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $419,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $54.89 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.30.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%.

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.