Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Acquires 9,528 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 655,964 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,528 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $37,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,169,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,993,000 after purchasing an additional 36,922 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,588,000 after purchasing an additional 63,835 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UL. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $56.02 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.98. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th.

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.