Brooklyn FI LLC Takes Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Brooklyn FI LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 8,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $511,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,749,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,193,000 after buying an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Trust Co lifted its stake in Unilever by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after acquiring an additional 11,555 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $63.54. 2,144,515 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,507,602. The company has a market cap of $156.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $53.50 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $61.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.02.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

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.