Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 639,518 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,398 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $41,543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Fiera Capital Corp grew its position in Unilever by 1,866.0% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,221 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,216 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 598.7% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after buying an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on UL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $57.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $141.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.23. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.4755 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.63%.

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.