Townsend & Associates Inc Purchases New Stake in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Townsend & Associates Inc has acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC, purchasing 29,964 shares valued at approximately $1,811,000 during the second quarter.
• Unilever recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5175 per share, showing a slight rise from the previous dividend of $0.52, which represents an annualized yield of 3.3%.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Unilever's stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $73.00 according to recent reports.

Townsend & Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 29,964 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,811,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UL. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 209.0% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $63.18 on Monday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $61.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.69. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.66. The company has a market capitalization of $155.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UL. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Unilever from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.00.

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.

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