M&T Bank Corp Trims Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

M&T Bank Corp reduced its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 648,601 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,309 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Unilever were worth $38,623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Mission Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 1.0% in the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management raised its holdings in Unilever by 0.4% in the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,379,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its position in Unilever by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of UL traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.89. 2,092,592 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,492,412. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.76. The firm has a market cap of $149.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

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.