Crux Wealth Advisors Increases Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Crux Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 49.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,514 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,490 shares during the quarter. Crux Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Unilever were worth $1,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gallacher Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $532,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 1.0% in the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 35,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,128,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.3% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $63.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.70.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever’s payout ratio is 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.