Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $4.44 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,227 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,642 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Unilever by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its stake in Unilever by 2.8% during the 4th 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. lifted its position in Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in Unilever by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.50.

Unilever Price Performance

UL traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $61.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,095,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,520,665. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $60.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.88. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $53.50 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is a boost 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.