Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $248.29 Million Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,378,983 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,936 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.18% of Unilever worth $248,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 77.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,359 shares of the company's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,947 shares of the company's stock worth $6,291,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 217.0% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 2,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,775 shares of the company's stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.50.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $62.55 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $154.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.85. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $53.50 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

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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