Peoples Bank KS Invests $820,000 in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Peoples Bank KS purchased 13,408 shares of Unilever PLC, valued at approximately $820,000, according to its recent SEC filing.
• Unilever announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, marking an increase from its previous dividend, with a current yield of 3.4%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Unilever, with two "Strong Buy," three "Buy," two "Hold," and two "Sell" ratings, while the average target price is $73.00.

Peoples Bank KS purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 13,408 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $820,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after buying an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.5% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock worth $233,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.1% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,340,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,911,000 after buying an additional 221,958 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 3,070,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,870,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Unilever by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,260,133 shares of the company's stock worth $134,591,000 after acquiring an additional 93,677 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Down 0.3%

Unilever stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $61.26. 2,471,206 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,116,739. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $61.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.32 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.5175 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

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.