Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 95,359 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.16% of Unilever worth $233,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UL. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $60.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $62.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.77.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.