Range Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Range Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 216.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,215 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,984 shares during the quarter. Range Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 393.5% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 202.5% in the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in Unilever during the third quarter worth about $48,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UL. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL traded up $0.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $55.86. 2,260,699 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,150,214. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.36. The firm has a market cap of $138.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.63%.

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.