Sowell Financial Services LLC Acquires Shares of 7,902 Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,902 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $471,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its position 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 worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company's stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $61.17 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $62.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.54. The company has a market capitalization of $150.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.43.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

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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