Bank of New York Mellon Corp Grows Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 33.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 934,804 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 232,945 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp's holdings in Unilever were worth $55,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UL. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Unilever by 14.1% during the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 80,490 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,793,000 after purchasing an additional 9,933 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 39.2% in the first quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 28,900 shares of the company's stock worth $1,721,000 after acquiring an additional 8,140 shares in the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 0.6% in the first quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,840 shares of the company's stock worth $2,372,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 75.6% in the first quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,255 shares of the company's stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 6,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 8.6% in the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 19,244 shares of the company's stock worth $1,146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $60.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.85.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UL shares. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.67.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.