Whittier Trust Co. Cuts Stock Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Whittier Trust Co. lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,850 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Unilever by 33.2% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,668,000 after purchasing an additional 232,945 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 3,421,054 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 91,511 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.9% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 211,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,996,000 after acquiring an additional 15,421 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Down 0.4%

Unilever stock opened at $62.10 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.66. The company has a market capitalization of $152.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $61.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.72.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Zacks Research lowered Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. CICC Research started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

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.