Welch Group LLC Sells 853,054 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Welch Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 98.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,747 shares of the company's stock after selling 853,054 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $636,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 25,125 shares of the company's stock worth $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 22,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 3,865 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 771,130 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1,022.6% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 11,159 shares of the company's stock worth $665,000 after acquiring an additional 10,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 11,230 shares of the company's stock worth $669,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Price Performance

UL traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $63.84. 2,356,356 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,504,971. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.67.

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.