Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 63,466 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,779,000.
Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock worth $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Unilever by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock worth $289,345,000 after purchasing an additional 250,053 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock worth $217,191,000 after buying an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock worth $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts have commented on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.
Read Our Latest Analysis on UL
Unilever Trading Down 1.6%
Shares of UL traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.62. 1,987,927 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,481,623. The firm has a market cap of $153.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.43. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $62.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.43.
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 paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.03%.
About Unilever
(
Free Report)
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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