Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 31,759 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 337,629 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,759 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $19,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its position in Unilever by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 7,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Unilever by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 251,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,796,000 after purchasing an additional 13,927 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Unilever by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever by 161.4% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 14,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 9,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in Unilever by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 5,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $55.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.36. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.4755 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

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.