8,425 Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Bought by Two Sigma Securities LLC

Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 8,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $478,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its position in Unilever by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its stake in Unilever by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company's stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UL. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $63.56. 2,258,277 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,567,004. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $51.45 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

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.