Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Purchases 10,832 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 61.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,348 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,832 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,854,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 108.8% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 3.8%

UL stock opened at $59.03 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.69. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.95 and a 1 year high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. Research analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

About Unilever

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.