Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 45.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,478 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,346 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. May Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in 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 increased its stake 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 worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 34.2% in the fourth 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 period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $63.77 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $61.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.93. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $53.50 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $156.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.50.

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.