Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 673,983 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,019 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $40,136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock worth $1,749,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after buying an additional 11,555 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 69.7% in the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 5,867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $11,895,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.

Unilever Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:UL traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $62.33. The stock had a trading volume of 2,956,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,475,388. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.56. 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 given a $0.5151 dividend. 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 yield of 3.31%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.