Unilever PLC $UL Shares Acquired by Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 3.8%, now holding 679,553 shares valued at approximately $40.47 million.
• Unilever announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, reflecting a 3.3% dividend yield, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.52.
• Several large investors, including Bank of New York Mellon and Banco Santander, also significantly boosted their stakes in Unilever during the first quarter of this year.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 679,553 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,678 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Unilever were worth $40,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 551.9% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 41,063 shares of the company's stock worth $2,328,000 after buying an additional 34,764 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 844,989 shares of the company's stock worth $47,901,000 after buying an additional 15,597 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Unilever by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 89,713 shares of the company's stock worth $5,087,000 after buying an additional 32,623 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 23,491 shares of the company's stock worth $1,332,000 after buying an additional 5,197 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE UL traded down $0.75 on Friday, hitting $64.26. 2,691,148 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,099,057. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $157.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.13.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

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.