Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,103,075 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 250,053 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.21% of Unilever worth $289,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in Unilever by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company's stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of UL traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,318,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,599,805. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $50.28 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The company's fifty day moving average price is $59.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.86. The stock has a market cap of $154.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.33.

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.