Cooke & Bieler LP Has $62.23 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Cooke & Bieler LP trimmed its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,044,982 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,259 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP's holdings in Unilever were worth $62,229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock traded down $0.10 on Friday, reaching $59.69. 1,418,651 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,476,704. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $146.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.41. The business's 50 day moving average price is $62.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.96.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is 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.