Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Perpetual Ltd

Key Points

• Perpetual Ltd has reduced its stake in Unilever PLC by 14.1% during Q2, resulting in ownership of 31,718 shares valued at approximately $1.94 million.
• Unilever recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5175, representing an increase from the previous dividend and reflecting a 3.4% yield.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Unilever stock, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $73.00, indicating potential for future growth.

Perpetual Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 14.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,718 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,191 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd's holdings in Unilever were worth $1,940,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Unilever by 13.9% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock worth $1,673,381,000 after buying an additional 3,421,054 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.5% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,340,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,911,000 after purchasing an additional 221,958 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 6.8% in the first quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 3,070,860 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,870,000 after purchasing an additional 195,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,260,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,591,000 after purchasing an additional 93,677 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $60.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,025,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,487,996. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $61.62 and a 200 day moving average of $61.61. The company has a market capitalization of $148.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.31%.

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.