Martin Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Martin Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 208.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,129 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,432 shares during the period. Unilever accounts for approximately 2.7% of Martin Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $6,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in Unilever by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $685,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 1.9% during the second quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.0% in the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.8% in the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management raised its position in shares of Unilever by 0.4% in the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE UL opened at $62.90 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.46. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.32 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $154.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. CICC Research assumed coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever 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.