William Blair Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 21.1% during the second quarter, owning 45,304 shares valued at approximately $2.77 million.
• Unilever recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, marking an increase from its previous dividend and representing a yield of 3.3%.
• Despite various ratings, analysts have a consensus of "Moderate Buy" for Unilever, with a target price of $73.00.

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 21.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,304 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,906 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company's stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company's stock worth $1,280,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,457 shares of the company's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. CICC Research initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered Unilever from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $62.93 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $154.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.66. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $61.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.71.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.31%.

About Unilever

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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