Exchange Capital Management Inc. Buys 1,623 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Exchange Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,588 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of 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 purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares during the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at $45,413,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Unilever by 764.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 775,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,185,000 after buying an additional 685,848 shares in the last quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. bought a new stake in Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $34,533,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Unilever by 220.9% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 626,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,284,000 after acquiring an additional 431,005 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $58.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $144.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.49 and a 200-day moving average of $61.59. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.66.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. 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 yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UL. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Unilever 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.