Edge Capital Group LLC Cuts Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Edge Capital Group LLC reduced its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 12.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,616 shares of the company’s stock after selling 686 shares during the period. Edge Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Allen Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $2,415,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $863,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $867,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Unilever by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,452,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,419,000 after acquiring an additional 90,245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the first quarter worth approximately $684,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $64.41 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $65.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.09 and its 200 day moving average is $55.80. The company has a market capitalization of $161.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.4773 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Company 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.