Novem Group Invests $397,000 in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 7,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $397,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Trust Co raised its position in shares of Unilever by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $63.31 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $53.50 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.50.

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.