SCS Capital Management LLC Takes $2.42 Million Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• SCS Capital Management LLC has made a significant investment of $2.42 million in Unilever PLC, purchasing 40,649 shares during the first quarter.
• Unilever recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5175 per share, which represents an annualized yield of 3.3%.
• Analysts have varying ratings on Unilever, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $73.00.

SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 40,649 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,421,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 21,755 shares of the company's stock worth $1,360,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 62,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,717,000 after buying an additional 19,883 shares in the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,891,000 after buying an additional 849 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at $492,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 2,815 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Two 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.90. 2,489,102 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,112,859. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.39. The firm has a market cap of $154.32 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.5175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 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.