Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD

Key Points

• Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its stake in Unilever PLC by 17.0%, owning 1,022,450 shares after selling 210,149 shares in the first quarter, valued at approximately $60.9 million.
• Unilever's recent quarterly dividend payment of $0.5175 per share marks an increase from the previous payout, representing an annual yield of 3.3% and a dividend payout ratio of 59.31%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Unilever, with the consensus rating labeled as "Moderate Buy" and a price target set at $73.00, suggesting potential upside for investors.

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD decreased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 17.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,022,450 shares of the company's stock after selling 210,149 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD's holdings in Unilever were worth $60,888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Unilever by 33.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company's stock worth $55,668,000 after purchasing an additional 232,945 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its position in Unilever by 69.7% during the first quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after purchasing an additional 5,867 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Unilever by 65.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 232,096 shares of the company's stock worth $13,821,000 after purchasing an additional 91,511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. increased its position in Unilever by 70.6% during the first quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 15,030 shares of the company's stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.00.

Unilever Trading Up 0.0%

UL opened at $62.08 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.78. The firm has a market cap of $152.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.32 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Unilever Profile

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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