Horizon Investments LLC Has $2.95 Million Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 47.5% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 49,465 shares worth $2.95 million.
• Unilever recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, representing a yield of 3.4%, which is an increase from the previous dividend of $0.52.
• Analysts have mixed views on Unilever, with BNP Paribas upgrading it to a "strong-buy" rating while others rated it as "hold" or "underperform"; the average price target for the stock is $72.50.

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 47.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,465 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,919 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Unilever by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,668,000 after purchasing an additional 232,945 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 69.7% during the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 5,867 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 15,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $895,000 after acquiring an additional 6,220 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 13,958 shares of the company's stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 5,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,557,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,768,000 after acquiring an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $60.98 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.54. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $149.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on UL shares. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

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.

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