LPL Financial LLC Raises Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 989,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86,908 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $56,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Unilever by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $58.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.33.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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