Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,049 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $61.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.60. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.66. The company has a market cap of $143.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Three research 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

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.