Beacon Financial Group Grows Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Beacon Financial Group lifted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,347 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,761 shares during the quarter. Beacon Financial Group’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $169,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Unilever by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

UL opened at $63.01 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.27 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.22. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.67.

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.