CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Acquires 13,508 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 73,077 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,508 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Unilever by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 15,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,009,000 after acquiring an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 26.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,811,000 after purchasing an additional 31,186 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Unilever by 1,515.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 57,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,709,000 after purchasing an additional 53,555 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth $1,188,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 42.7% in the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 19,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after buying an additional 5,774 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of UL opened at $59.60 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $147.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $57.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.13.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

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.