Optimist Retirement Group LLC Buys 688 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,332 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 688 shares during the quarter. Unilever makes up 1.2% of Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Optimist Retirement Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 29.6% in the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 16,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 3,728 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $784,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 60,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,631,000 after acquiring an additional 13,243 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 19,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth approximately $221,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on UL. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $59.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.41. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

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.