5 Best Diversified Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

3. Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Dividend Yield as of October 3: 4.28%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) is a London-based consumer goods company that operates through various segments, including beauty, food, and personal care. The company is one of the largest producers of soap in the world. In Q2 2022, the company’s operating cash flow came in at roughly $8 billion. Its free cash flow stood at €2.2 billion, down from €2.4 billion during the same period last year. The company’s revenue of €30 billion showed a 14.8% year-over-year growth.

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has raised its dividends at a CAGR of 4.63% in the past five years. It currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.4343 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.28%, as of October 3.

In September, Berenberg upgraded Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) to Buy with a price target of 4,800 GBP, up from 4,000 GBP. The firm appreciated the company’s organic growth and improvement in its pricing actions.

At the end of Q2 2022, 21 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database owned stakes in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL), compared with 23 in the previous quarter. These stakes hold a total value of over $813.3 million. Gardner Russo & Gardner was the company’s leading stakeholder in Q2.

Polen Capital mentioned Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in its Q2 2022 investor letter. Here is what the firm has to say:

“Multinational consumer goods company Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) showed robust price increases overall, with minimal impact on volume, resulting in faster-than-expected sales growth during the quarter. Indeed, higher inflation can be a positive change for companies with favorable brands like Unilever as these conditions make it easier for the biggest brands to raise prices, continue spending on advertising, and take share. We believe the appointment of an activist investor to Unilever’s board in June will help spur additional growth.”