Callahan Advisors LLC Sells 8,500 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Callahan Advisors LLC cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 18.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,600 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,500 shares during the period. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,239,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $296,000. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 69.7% in the first quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after purchasing an additional 5,867 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 56.7% in the first quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 13,958 shares of the company's stock worth $832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 25.5% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,557,291 shares of the company's stock worth $92,768,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $61.44 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.32 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm's 50-day moving average is $62.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.80. The stock has a market cap of $150.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.41.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.

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