Easterly Investment Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Easterly Investment Partners LLC has acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC, purchasing 29,079 shares valued at approximately $1.78 million in the second quarter.
• Unilever announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.5175 per share from its previous $0.52, yielding 3.3% annually, with a payout ratio of 59.31%.
• Analysts have varying outlooks on Unilever, with one firm issuing an "outperform" rating and another raising its rating from "hold" to "strong buy," indicating mixed investor sentiment.

Easterly Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 29,079 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,779,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,127 shares of the company's stock valued at $782,000 after purchasing an additional 2,544 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 196,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,692,000 after purchasing an additional 39,877 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $471,000. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $233,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $63.18 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.69.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.5175 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. 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, Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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