Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 15.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 94,831 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,621 shares during the quarter. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,317,000 after buying an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Unilever by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock worth $289,345,000 after acquiring an additional 250,053 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock worth $217,191,000 after acquiring an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Unilever by 140.1% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Unilever Stock Up 0.2%
Shares of UL traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $62.80. The company had a trading volume of 2,409,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,477,341. The stock has a market cap of $154.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43. The company's 50 day moving average price is $62.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.45. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87.
Unilever Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.5151 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.03%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Unilever
Unilever Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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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