Mezzasalma Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Mezzasalma Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,761 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,763 shares during the period. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 209.0% during the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $63.18 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $61.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Unilever

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.