3,120,106 Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,120,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $151,263,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.12% of Unilever as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 57,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,856,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 4.1% in the third quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 611,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,187,000 after purchasing an additional 24,293 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $859,000. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 26.9% during the 3rd quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 6,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 10,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $535,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Argus lifted their target price on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $54.37 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.27. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $54.98.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.4556 dividend. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th.

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.