Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $615,000 Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 10,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $615,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter worth $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $61.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,120,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,386,603. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.42. The company has a market cap of $149.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.31%.

About Unilever

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.