Banco Santander S.A. Makes New Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Banco Santander S.A. bought a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $585,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UL. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its stake in Unilever by 2.7% in the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 17.3% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $826,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UL. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.61 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $61.86 and its 200 day moving average is $59.60.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. 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 3.25%.

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.