Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by King Luther Capital Management Corp

King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,461 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $64.41 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.80. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $65.86. The company has a market capitalization of $161.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.4773 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 54.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

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.