Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $253,000 Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $253,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $169,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,038 shares of the company's stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 8,706 shares of the company's stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.1%

UL stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $63.03. 1,661,225 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,493,984. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on UL. Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

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.