Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stake Raised by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,227 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,642 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,167,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 23,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 89,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,087,000 after buying an additional 32,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 844,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,901,000 after buying an additional 15,597 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Unilever Trading Down 0.0 %

Unilever stock opened at $62.55 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $53.39 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.89. The company has a market capitalization of $154.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a positive change 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 3.29%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

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.