Moors & Cabot Inc. Boosts Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,385 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,905 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $59.07 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $56.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.76. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

About Unilever

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.