Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 41.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,469 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 45,941 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $8,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Thursday, hitting $63.09. 1,635,882 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,491,658. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.26. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UL. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.