HM Payson & Co. Sells 11,491 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

HM Payson & Co. trimmed its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 38.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,491 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in Unilever by 1.4% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company's stock worth $967,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock worth $2,379,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Unilever Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:UL opened at $61.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $151.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.71. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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