First Trust Advisors LP Raises Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 791,098 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,216 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $46,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 0.6% in the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,683,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc grew its holdings in Unilever by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 30,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,903,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE UL opened at $65.13 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $61.78 and a 12-month high of $74.97. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.18.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The firm had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price objective on Unilever and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.