10,326 Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $615,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UL. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $60.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $149.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $61.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.32.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Unilever Company 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.

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