PDS Planning Inc Grows Stake in Unilever PLC $UL

PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,850 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 927 shares during the quarter. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Unilever were worth $725,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $60.47 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.63. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.66. The company has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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