SGL Investment Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

SGL Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 55,752 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 901 shares during the quarter. Unilever makes up approximately 1.7% of SGL Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. SGL Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Unilever by 77.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $227,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 47,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,680,000 after purchasing an additional 8,313 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank raised its stake in Unilever by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 4,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $197,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.50.

Unilever Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of UL opened at $61.81 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $53.50 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.87. The company has a market cap of $152.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.