Barclays PLC Acquires 957 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 77.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,199 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 957 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UL. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Unilever by 981.6% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 598.7% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,992 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 493.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after purchasing an additional 918,841 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on UL. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $55.86 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $138.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49. The business’s fifty day moving average is $58.46 and its 200-day moving average is $60.36.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.4755 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.63%.

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.