Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Principal Street Partners LLC

Principal Street Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 49.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,744 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,660 shares during the period. Principal Street Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.50.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $62.47 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.84. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $53.50 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

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.