Keynote Financial Services LLC Makes New Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Keynote Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,806,000. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 199.4% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 80,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,043,000 after purchasing an additional 53,651 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Unilever by 213.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 277,679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,937,000 after purchasing an additional 189,121 shares during the period. Raelipskie Partnership increased its position in shares of Unilever by 44.7% during the 1st quarter. Raelipskie Partnership now owns 13,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 13,620 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 790 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.54. The company had a trading volume of 4,790,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,107,675. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.16 and a one year high of $62.65. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.32.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Argus lifted their target price on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.33.

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.