Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Acquired by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 11.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 61,421 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,440 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:UL traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $60.92. 1,982,271 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,493,321. The company has a market cap of $149.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.43. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $62.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.63. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Unilever's payout ratio 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.