Vident Advisory LLC Grows Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 46.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 39,581 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,475 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter worth $30,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the first quarter worth $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $63.25 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $61.13 and its 200-day moving average is $60.96.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.31%.

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.