Smart Money Group LLC Purchases New Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Smart Money Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UL. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Unilever by 111.5% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 215.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 586 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Evolution Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock traded up $0.15 on Thursday, reaching $52.02. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,850,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,895,804. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $55.77. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $49.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.64.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%.

Unilever 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.