USA Financial Formulas Invests $265,000 in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• USA Financial Formulas has made a new investment in Unilever PLC, acquiring 4,326 shares valued at approximately $265,000.
• Unilever recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, marking an increase from its previous quarterly dividend, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.5%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Unilever, with an average price target of $73.00 following various upgrades from equities research analysts.

USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Unilever by 13.9% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 2.5% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,359 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,340,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,911,000 after buying an additional 221,958 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.8% in the first quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 3,070,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,870,000 after buying an additional 195,931 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,260,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,591,000 after buying an additional 93,677 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.80 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $61.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.59. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.27 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.41.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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