Banco Santander S.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,030 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 592.8% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,070,818 shares of the company's stock worth $60,715,000 after purchasing an additional 916,246 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7,286.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 781,713 shares of the company's stock worth $46,551,000 after buying an additional 771,130 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Unilever by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,166,456 shares of the company's stock worth $122,838,000 after acquiring an additional 742,260 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $38,626,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,533,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $60.46 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $148.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.29.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on UL. Wall Street Zen lowered 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.50.

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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