Gabelli Funds LLC Grows Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 164,895 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $8,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 53,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,672,000 after buying an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 98.4% during the 1st quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 467,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,439,000 after purchasing an additional 231,651 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 1st quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Pitcairn Co. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 1st quarter worth $663,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.33.

Unilever Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE UL traded up $1.65 during trading on Friday, hitting $60.73. 8,462,574 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,458,220. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.16 and a 12-month high of $60.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.4773 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

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.