Davis Rea LTD. Sells 170 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Davis Rea LTD. trimmed its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Davis Rea LTD.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in Unilever in the second quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at about $63,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of UL stock opened at $60.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $61.44 and its 200 day moving average is $61.60. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.66.

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 issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 59.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.