Mackenzie Financial Corp Takes $4.62 Million Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 81,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,618,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock traded up $0.27 on Friday, hitting $63.84. 2,356,356 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,504,527. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.15 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.10. The stock has a market cap of $156.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.