Chicago Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Chicago Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 115.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,775 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,069 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $1,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UL. Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at about $362,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Unilever by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 4,931 shares of the company's stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,969 shares during the last quarter. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. now owns 94,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,647,000 after buying an additional 12,621 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth approximately $471,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:UL opened at $62.22 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The stock's fifty day moving average is $62.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.43.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a positive change 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 3.31%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.

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