Arvest Investments Inc. Acquires New Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Arvest Investments Inc. bought a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 45,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,227,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in Unilever by 43.5% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 26,032 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,186,000 after acquiring an additional 7,895 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.2% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 48,220 shares of the company's stock worth $2,197,000 after buying an additional 1,963 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its stake in Unilever by 40.5% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,294 shares of the company's stock worth $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 11,905 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 10.7% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 127,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,788,000 after purchasing an additional 12,302 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 204.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 667 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE UL traded down $0.18 on Thursday, hitting $48.72. 2,085,143 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,719,486. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.64 and a 200 day moving average of $48.72. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.4582 dividend. This represents a $1.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley cut Unilever from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $48.00.

Unilever Company 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.

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