Bleakley Financial Group LLC Buys 9,475 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 61,107 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,475 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at about $863,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at approximately $684,000. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 7,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $3,312,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,312,000 after purchasing an additional 214,635 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $62.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $157.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.48. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.68.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on UL. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

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.