Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by Mengis Capital Management Inc.

Mengis Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 51.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,562 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,245 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 51.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 672,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,239,000 after buying an additional 227,681 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,582,000 after acquiring an additional 47,256 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 3,718.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 171,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,321,000 after acquiring an additional 167,146 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 762,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,946,000 after purchasing an additional 98,275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 47,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on UL. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

Unilever Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of UL traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $48.06. The company had a trading volume of 2,047,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,807,758. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $49.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.53. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.4582 per share. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd.

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.