Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp Takes Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $58.68 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.33. The stock has a market cap of $145.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average 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.