Captrust Financial Advisors Buys 13,670 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

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

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Unilever by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 3,782 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 48,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 4,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 4.7%

Unilever stock opened at $62.37 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $61.78 and a 1 year high of $74.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Kepler Capital Markets cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.