Mezzasalma Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Mezzasalma Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 9,990 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 320 shares during the quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $649,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Red Tortoise LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth about $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 393.5% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $63.28 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.55. The company has a market cap of $158.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.4773 dividend. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 54.65%.

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.