Financial Advocates Investment Management Boosts Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,264 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in Unilever were worth $277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the first quarter worth about $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 393.5% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 54.3% during the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of UL opened at $61.32 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $63.76 and a 200 day moving average of $58.80. The company has a market cap of $152.66 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.49. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on UL. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Company 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.