Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC

Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,793 shares of the company’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 33.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,668,000 after acquiring an additional 232,945 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 13.9% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 69.7% during the first quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,000 after acquiring an additional 5,867 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 65.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 232,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,821,000 after acquiring an additional 91,511 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 70.6% during the first quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 15,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,000 after acquiring an additional 6,220 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL 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 4.67 and a beta of 0.40. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.69.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on UL. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

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.