Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 592.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,070,818 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 916,246 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $60,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.50.

Unilever Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $62.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $154.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $53.39 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.89.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

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.