Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $1.31 Million Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 25.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,069 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,441 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on UL. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $61.34. 1,195,245 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,588,856. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.58, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $62.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.73.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

Unilever 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.