Versant Capital Management Inc Grows Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1,022.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,159 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,165 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Unilever were worth $665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company's stock worth $448,317,000 after buying an additional 257,538 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 250,053 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,191,000 after acquiring an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UL shares. 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 raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.

Unilever Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $62.80. 1,104,945 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,500,924. The stock has a market cap of $154.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $62.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.17.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.