Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Acquires 4,417 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 37.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,265 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,417 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $969,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Down 0.1%

UL stock opened at $63.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $154.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.32 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $62.40 and a 200-day moving average of $59.29.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. 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 3.27%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.