M&T Bank Corp Raises Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 654,910 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,392 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Unilever were worth $37,133,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE UL traded up $0.36 on Wednesday, reaching $58.38. 2,126,632 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,531,441. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.85 billion, a PE ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $56.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.86.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.