Focus Partners Wealth Purchases 19,012 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 15.8%, now holding shares valued at $8.30 million.
• Unilever recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5175, raising its annualized dividend yield to 3.3%.
• The stock has shown a strong interest from institutional investors, with 9.67% of shares owned by various hedge funds and other institutions.

Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 15.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,425 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,012 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Unilever were worth $8,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock worth $1,673,381,000 after buying an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock worth $233,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,359 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,340,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,911,000 after buying an additional 221,958 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 6.8% during the first quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 3,070,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,870,000 after buying an additional 195,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Unilever by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,926,892 shares of the company's stock worth $165,955,000 after purchasing an additional 14,083 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $62.35. 1,485,815 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,136,980. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $61.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.50. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever 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.