New England Asset Management Inc. Sells 11,685 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

New England Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 11.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,740 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,685 shares during the period. New England Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on UL. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.50.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $61.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $151.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.85. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $53.50 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

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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