Blair William & Co. IL Reduces Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL has reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC by 13.0%, now owning 102,750 shares after selling 15,348 shares in the first quarter.
• Unilever has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.5175, up from $0.52, reflecting an annualized payout of $2.07 and a yield of 3.4%.
• Analyst ratings for Unilever show a consensus of "Moderate Buy", with target prices ranging from $72.50 to $73.00 following various upgrades and downgrades by brokerage firms.

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 102,750 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,348 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Unilever were worth $6,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the first quarter worth $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 209.0% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $60.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $61.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.32. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UL. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday. Finally, UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned 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.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.50.

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.

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