Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC grew its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,642 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,670 shares during the quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fermata Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the first quarter worth $306,000. HF Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Unilever by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 2,876 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Group increased its position in Unilever by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 66,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,951,000 after purchasing an additional 1,761 shares in the last quarter. Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Unilever by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nixon Peabody Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth about $5,051,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $63.01 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.27 and a 200-day moving average of $59.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s payout ratio is 59.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UL. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.67.

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.