Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 57.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 89,713 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,623 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Unilever were worth $5,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Unilever by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $60.78 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.87. The company has a market cap of $149.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.42, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $53.50 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.