Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC lowered its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 521,079 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,195 shares during the quarter. Unilever makes up approximately 2.6% of Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Mar Vista Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $31,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $61.44 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $150.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.41. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $62.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.80. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. 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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