American Century Companies Inc. Has $152.70 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. has reduced its stake in Unilever PLC by 10%, currently holding approximately 2.56 million shares valued at around $152.7 million.
• Unilever has recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5175, representing an annual yield of 3.4%, up from the previous $0.52 dividend.
• Several analysts have provided mixed ratings on Unilever's stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

American Century Companies Inc. decreased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,564,146 shares of the company's stock after selling 283,540 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Unilever worth $152,695,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 78,055 shares of the company's stock worth $4,423,000 after buying an additional 3,579 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 20,536 shares of the company's stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 3,809 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $440,000. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 17,225 shares of the company's stock worth $977,000 after buying an additional 3,429 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $60.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $149.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50-day moving average is $61.11 and its 200-day moving average is $60.54. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

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.

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