Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Reduces Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,877 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,396 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Unilever by 16.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $11,694,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Unilever by 249.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after buying an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares during the period. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the third quarter valued at $1,388,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.87 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.14. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on UL. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.