Brown Advisory Inc. Has $61.94 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 17.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,040,191 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 152,957 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $61,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 8.0% during the first quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 286,047 shares of the company's stock worth $17,034,000 after purchasing an additional 21,309 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at $103,000. Washington Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth about $262,000. Fullcircle Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.3% during the first quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 56,442 shares of the company's stock worth $3,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 257.8% during the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 25,183 shares of the company's stock worth $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 18,145 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UL. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE UL traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $61.51. The company had a trading volume of 905,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,484,147. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.77. The stock has a market cap of $150.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $0.5151 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.