Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. trimmed its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 46,837 shares of the company’s stock after selling 375 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,043,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 23.3% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 27.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 969,267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,648,000 after purchasing an additional 207,182 shares in the last quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Retirement Guys Formula LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 32.9% during the 1st quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 12,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 3,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mezzasalma Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $298,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock traded down $0.46 on Wednesday, reaching $61.83. The company had a trading volume of 529,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,605,729. The company has a 50-day moving average of $63.84 and a 200-day moving average of $58.49. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.