Royal Bank of Canada Increases Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,926,892 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,083 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Unilever were worth $165,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of UL stock opened at $61.78 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $53.50 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $152.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $61.07 and a 200 day moving average of $58.84.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank upgraded 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

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.