First Trust Advisors LP Raises Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 965,733 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 70,221 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Unilever were worth $54,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 90.3% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 11,728 shares of the company's stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 5,566 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 75.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 7,676 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 3,302 shares in the last quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $424,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 54,951 shares of the company's stock worth $3,116,000 after acquiring an additional 8,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,995 shares of the company's stock valued at $907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE UL traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $63.01. The company had a trading volume of 617,771 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,568,967. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $51.34 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $155.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.80.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.