Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 716,472 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,366 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $40,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Unilever by 77.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Unilever by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 639,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,543,000 after acquiring an additional 4,398 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,025,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,310,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $2,756,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE UL traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $63.79. 3,154,031 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,606,971. The company has a market cap of $158.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.58 and a 200 day moving average of $58.83. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.61 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.01%.

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.