Unilever PLC $UL Shares Bought by Optas LLC

Optas LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 23.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,407 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,387 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 209.0% during the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $63,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 0.5%

UL stock opened at $58.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $61.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.59. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.66. The company has a market cap of $144.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Zacks Research raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

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.