Cardinal Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Cardinal Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 423,359 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,965 shares during the quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $25,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on UL. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane began 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 report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL traded down $1.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.62. 1,987,927 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,481,623. The business's 50 day moving average is $62.64 and its 200-day moving average is $59.43. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $153.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

Unilever Company 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.