Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 6,708 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,255 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,708 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted 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 period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised 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 worth $289,345,000 after acquiring an additional 250,053 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised 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 worth $233,787,000 after acquiring an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Unilever by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,926,892 shares of the company's stock worth $165,955,000 after acquiring an additional 14,083 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $59.69. 1,418,651 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,476,704. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $62.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.96.

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 issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.