Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Unilever PLC by 5.4% during the first quarter, selling 4,084 shares and now owning 71,633 shares valued at approximately $4.27 million.
• Unilever recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5175 per share, an increase from its previous dividend, resulting in an annual yield of 3.3%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Unilever, with a consensus target price of $73.00, indicating moderate bullish sentiment despite some "underperform" ratings from certain firms.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 5.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,633 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,084 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $4,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Unilever by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 592.8% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 1,070,818 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,715,000 after purchasing an additional 916,246 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7,286.5% during the 1st 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 period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 742,260 shares during the period. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. acquired a new position in Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,533,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $62.08 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock's fifty day moving average is $61.06 and its 200-day moving average is $60.78. The company has a market capitalization of $152.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.5175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on UL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

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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