LPL Financial LLC Increases Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 989,748 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 86,908 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $56,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $2,841,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 18,754 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 2,543 shares during the last quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Unilever by 460.2% during the 4th quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC now owns 17,993 shares of the company's stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 14,781 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 340,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,331,000 after buying an additional 25,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $161,464,000 after buying an additional 131,349 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $59.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,825,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,535,047. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $57.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.13. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year 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 paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of 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 assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.