Arjuna Capital Grows Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Arjuna Capital lifted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 25,347 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 230 shares during the quarter. Arjuna Capital’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Red Tortoise LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 423.8% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UL shares. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Argus upped their price target on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Bank of America raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded down $0.28 on Friday, reaching $64.78. The company had a trading volume of 3,097,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,818,464. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $59.13 and a 200-day moving average of $54.06. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $65.17.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.97%.

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.