Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Decreases Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. reduced its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,726 shares of the company’s stock after selling 375 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 209.0% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Unilever in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in Unilever in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Friday. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $62.64 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $61.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.78. The company has a market cap of $153.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.5258 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52.

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.