Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Holdings Raised by First Eagle Investment Management LLC

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 516,573 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,399 shares during the quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $28,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,672,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,417 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,830,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,051,000 after purchasing an additional 951,446 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,548,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,459,000 after purchasing an additional 329,705 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 19.3% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,416,000 after purchasing an additional 668,913 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 3rd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $64.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $160.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.54. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $65.86.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.10%.

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.