Signaturefd LLC Raises Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 13.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 36,419 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,237 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,828,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Lido Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever by 3.0% during the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Unilever by 1.6% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 394,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,505,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 44.8% during the third quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 13,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 4,060 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in Unilever by 24.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 262,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,992,000 after buying an additional 50,880 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Unilever by 9.6% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 19,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 1,730 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $56.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,746,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,725,049. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $57.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $54.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.10. The company has a market capitalization of $142.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.46.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a $0.4556 dividend. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, Argus upped their price target on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

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.