Natural Investments LLC Sells 6,247 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Key Points

• Natural Investments LLC has reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC by 13.2%, selling 6,247 shares and now owning a total of 41,209 shares valued at approximately $2.45 million.
• Unilever recently declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.5175, with a payout ratio of 59.03% and an annual yield of 3.4%.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in Unilever, including D. E. Shaw & Co. with a 592.8% boost and GAMMA Investing LLC with a 7,286.5% increase in the first quarter.

Natural Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,209 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,247 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UL. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 592.8% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,070,818 shares of the company's stock worth $60,715,000 after buying an additional 916,246 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7,286.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 781,713 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,551,000 after acquiring an additional 771,130 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,166,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,838,000 after acquiring an additional 742,260 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $38,626,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,533,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $60.08 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $147.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The stock's 50-day moving average is $61.43 and its 200 day moving average is $60.32.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.5175 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.50.

About Unilever

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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