Ameriprise Financial Inc. Purchases 157,823 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 18.7%, acquiring a total of 1,002,812 shares valued at approximately $60.3 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Unilever recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, slightly up from its previous dividend, reflecting a 3.3% yield.
• Analysts have rated Unilever with an average consensus of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $73.00, indicating positive sentiment about the stock's future performance.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 18.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,002,812 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 157,823 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $60,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UL. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Unilever by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in Unilever by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management increased its position in Unilever by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in Unilever by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UL. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:UL traded up $0.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $63.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,318,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,138,729. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $61.11 and a 200-day moving average of $60.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.5175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 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.