Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 3,722 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 24.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,261 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,722 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Unilever were worth $1,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $59.58 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $57.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever 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.