Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Increases Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC by 60% in Q1, acquiring an additional 4,490 shares, bringing its total to 11,968 shares valued at $713,000.
• Unilever announced a new quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, slightly increasing from the previous dividend of $0.52, which reflects a dividend yield of 3.2%.
• Multiple equity analysts have upgraded Unilever’s stock rating, with recent price targets set at $73.00 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 60.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,968 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,490 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $58,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. CICC Research initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Down 0.4%

Unilever stock traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $62.80. The stock had a trading volume of 623,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,496,921. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $154.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.46 and a 200 day moving average of $61.28.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.31%.

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.