Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Has $22.04 Million Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 52.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 370,152 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 127,753 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Unilever were worth $22,043,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $60.29. The stock had a trading volume of 2,517,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,481,661. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $62.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.89. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $147.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.41.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

About Unilever

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.