RWA Wealth Partners LLC Takes Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• RWA Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever PLC, acquiring 4,023 shares valued at approximately $240,000 during the first quarter.
• Unilever recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, reflecting a positive change from its previous dividend and a yield of 3.3%.
• Brokerages have mixed ratings on Unilever, with a consensus target price of $72.50 and two analysts rating it as a Strong Buy.

RWA Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UL. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.4% in the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock worth $2,379,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in Unilever by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company's stock worth $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UL. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:UL traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $62.08. 2,036,352 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,294,182. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.78. The company has a market cap of $152.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Unilever 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.