Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 2.0% during the first quarter, now owning 441,744 shares valued at over $26 million.
• Unilever recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.5175 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 3.4%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Unilever, with a current consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 441,744 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,737 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $26,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Unilever by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,345,000 after buying an additional 250,053 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 2.5% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,787,000 after buying an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,926,892 shares of the company's stock worth $165,955,000 after buying an additional 14,083 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,166,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,838,000 after acquiring an additional 742,260 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $60.82 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The stock's 50-day moving average is $61.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.32. The firm has a market cap of $149.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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 objective for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

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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