Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Holdings Boosted by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,491 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,197 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock worth $1,749,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 155.2% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,193,000 after acquiring an additional 9,528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in Unilever by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4 %

UL opened at $64.18 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $60.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.88. The stock has a market cap of $158.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $52.56 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.5151 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UL. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.

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