Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.66 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 94.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,789 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,468 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $1,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Eldred Rock Partners LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 33.4% in the first quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 145,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,658,000 after acquiring an additional 36,445 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 97,350.0% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 9,745 shares of the company's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 9,735 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 53.5% in the 1st quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,589 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 6,133 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter worth about $253,000. Finally, Fulcrum Capital LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 12.1% during the first quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC now owns 6,258 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Unilever stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,525,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,491,095. The business's 50-day moving average price is $62.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.37. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $155.05 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report 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 upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.67.

About Unilever

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.