Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stock Holdings Increased by Cardinal Capital Management Inc.

Cardinal Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 423,359 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,965 shares during the quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $25,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock worth $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock worth $289,345,000 after purchasing an additional 250,053 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,191,000 after purchasing an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock worth $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.09. 1,525,051 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,488,499. The company has a market cap of $155.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company's 50 day moving average price is $62.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.35.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 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.