Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 17.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,951 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,076 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $3,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Unilever by 77.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth $1,025,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,310,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $2,756,000. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 39,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several research reports. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $63.79 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $47.55 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company's fifty day moving average is $58.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.

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