Natural Investments LLC Trims Position in 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 lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 13.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,209 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,247 shares during the quarter. Natural Investments LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $2,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Unilever Stock Down 0.4%

UL traded down $0.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $61.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,120,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,386,603. 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 $149.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $61.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.42.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.5175 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.