Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 989,748 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 86,908 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $56,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also 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 approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of UL opened at $58.68 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $57.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.33. The company has a market capitalization of $145.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.