Citigroup Inc. Purchases 19,200 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 199,393 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,200 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $11,874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,379,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,128,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Down 1.1%

UL opened at $61.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $151.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $61.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.52. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.5175 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on UL. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.50.

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.