Morningstar Investment Services LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Morningstar Investment Services LLC reduced its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 47.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,375 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,638 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 168,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,531,000 after purchasing an additional 17,066 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,613 shares of the company's stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,481 shares of the company's stock worth $821,000 after buying an additional 5,059 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL traded up $0.06 during trading on Monday, hitting $59.76. The stock had a trading volume of 1,309,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,472,246. 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 $146.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.98.

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 given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.67.

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.