Martin Capital Partners LLC Buys 76,432 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Martin Capital Partners LLC significantly increased its holdings in Unilever PLC by 208.3%, acquiring an additional 76,432 shares, making it the firm's 11th largest stock investment.
• Analysts have mixed views on Unilever, with ratings varying from "Strong Buy" to "Underperform," but the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $73.00.
• Unilever recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.5175 per share, which represents a 3.3% dividend yield, reflecting a commitment to returning value to its shareholders.

Martin Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 208.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 113,129 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 76,432 shares during the period. Unilever accounts for approximately 2.7% of Martin Capital Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Martin Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $6,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock worth $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 7,286.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 781,713 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,551,000 after purchasing an additional 771,130 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the first quarter worth $45,413,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 764.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 775,561 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,185,000 after buying an additional 685,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter valued at about $34,533,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on UL. CICC Research assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $62.90 on Monday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $61.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.46. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

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