Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 98.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4%

Unilever stock opened at $63.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $156.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.06. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.02 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.