Captrust Financial Advisors Grows Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,116,031 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,670 shares during the quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Unilever were worth $66,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,973,000 after acquiring an additional 2,935,227 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Unilever during the second quarter valued at approximately $144,979,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Unilever by 13,906.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252,105 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 10.2% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,578,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,319,966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989,631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth approximately $82,461,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $62.37 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $61.78 and a 12-month high of $74.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.60 and a 200 day moving average of $67.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. Analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $0.5547 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on Unilever and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

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.