Investment Research Partners LLC Invests $508,000 in Unilever PLC $UL

Investment Research Partners LLC bought a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $508,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pullen Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 0.6% in the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 30,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. Argus upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Trading Down 4.7%

UL stock opened at $62.37 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.60 and a 200-day moving average of $67.97. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $61.78 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. Analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.5547 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.