Earnest Partners LLC Sells 211 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Earnest Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,061 shares of the company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,061,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. IFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its position in Unilever by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 10,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. apricus wealth LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 63,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,084,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL traded down $0.27 on Tuesday, hitting $60.65. The stock had a trading volume of 1,233,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,782,749. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $61.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.98. The stock has a market cap of $151.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.46.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Unilever Company 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.