Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 17.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 54,951 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,076 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $3,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Unilever by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,191,000 after purchasing an additional 327,329 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Unilever by 66.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $176,806,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL traded down $1.08 on Friday, hitting $62.61. The company had a trading volume of 2,318,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,583,149. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.85. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $51.15 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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