Range Financial Group LLC Increases Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Range Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 216.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,215 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,984 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its position in Unilever by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,169,000 after purchasing an additional 22,325 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded up $0.43 on Tuesday, hitting $55.86. The company had a trading volume of 2,260,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,214. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $58.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.36. The company has a market capitalization of $138.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

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.