Unilever PLC $UL Shares Bought by Exchange Capital Management Inc.

Exchange Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,588 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Exchange Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever during the first quarter worth $45,413,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Unilever by 764.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 775,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,185,000 after purchasing an additional 685,848 shares during the last quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at $34,533,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 220.9% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 626,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,284,000 after buying an additional 431,005 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1%

UL stock opened at $58.90 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $61.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.59. The company has a market capitalization of $144.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.66.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UL. CICC Research began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

About Unilever

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.