Saturna Capital Corp Buys 8,300 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Saturna Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 605,943 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp's holdings in Unilever were worth $36,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $58,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on UL. Wall Street Zen cut 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas raised 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 issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.

Unilever Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of UL opened at $59.82 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The stock's 50 day moving average is $62.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.91. The firm has a market cap of $146.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.41.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is 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.

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