JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 401.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,465,523 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,173,298 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.06% of Unilever worth $83,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $2.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $60.16. 5,916,359 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,568,832. The company has a market capitalization of $149.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.08. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

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Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.33.

About Unilever

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.