5,425 Shares in Unilever PLC $UL Bought by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired 5,425 shares of Unilever PLC in Q2, signaling growing interest from institutional investors, with the investment valued at approximately $332,000.
• Unilever has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.5175 per share, boosting the annualized dividend yield to 3.3%.
• Analysts have mixed outlooks for Unilever, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Sell," and an average target price of $73.00 reflecting growth expectations.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $332,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% during the second quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company's stock worth $532,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 1.0% during the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Unilever by 0.8% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company's stock worth $1,280,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Unilever by 0.5% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company's stock worth $2,128,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 2.3% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,457 shares of the company's stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.4%

UL stock opened at $62.10 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $61.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.72. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.66. The stock has a market cap of $152.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Unilever from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

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.

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