Brooklyn Investment Group Grows Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 496.9%, acquiring an additional 10,106 shares in the 1st quarter, bringing its total ownership to 12,140 shares worth approximately $723,000.
• Unilever has announced a new quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, reflecting a positive increase from its previous dividend and representing an annual yield of 3.4%.
• The average analyst rating for Unilever is "Moderate Buy," with a target price of $72.50, as various institutions adjust their positions and ratings following recent financial performance.

Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 496.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,140 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,106 shares during the quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group's holdings in Unilever were worth $723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,317,000 after acquiring an additional 257,538 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Unilever by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,345,000 after acquiring an additional 250,053 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,787,000 after acquiring an additional 95,359 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,340,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,911,000 after acquiring an additional 221,958 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on UL. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE UL traded down $0.2250 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $63.0450. 2,322,970 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,308,035. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.07 and a 200 day moving average of $60.75. The stock has a market cap of $154.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is 59.31%.

Unilever 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.