Ballentine Partners LLC Buys 4,029 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,473 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,029 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 75.8% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth approximately $337,000. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 5.3% in the first quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 10,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the period. Optas LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 8.8% in the first quarter. Optas LLC now owns 5,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Breakwater Capital Group grew its holdings in Unilever by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 7,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $61.69 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $63.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

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.