FLC Capital Advisors Reduces Position in Unilever PLC $UL

FLC Capital Advisors reduced its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 426 shares during the quarter. FLC Capital Advisors’ holdings in Unilever were worth $726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $532,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $967,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Unilever by 0.5% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,128,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UL shares. CICC Research began coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Zacks Research cut Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $63.18 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $155.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $61.51 and its 200-day moving average is $61.69.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm 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 3.3%. This is a positive change 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 is presently 59.31%.

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.