Equity Investment Corp Has $125.94 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Equity Investment Corp cut its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,114,903 shares of the company's stock after selling 54,291 shares during the quarter. Unilever accounts for 2.8% of Equity Investment Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Equity Investment Corp owned about 0.09% of Unilever worth $125,942,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP raised its position in Unilever by 1.4% during the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $685,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 0.8% in the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company's stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.4% during the first quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock worth $2,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $0.50 during trading on Thursday, reaching $59.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,745,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,479,910. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $146.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.41. The business's fifty day moving average price is $62.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.89.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $0.5151 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

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.