Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 4,957 Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $322,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UL. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 4.1% during the second quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc lifted its stake in Unilever by 2.7% during the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 17.3% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 1.2% during the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $826,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.0% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $59.84 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $61.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.77. The company has a market capitalization of $148.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.49.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 56.46%.

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.