GoalVest Advisory LLC Buys 3,865 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 20.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,515 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,865 shares during the quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 66.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $63.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $156.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.02 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $61.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.06.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.