Sapient Capital LLC Sells 5,350 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Sapient Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 44.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,668 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,350 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,415,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $1,131,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $863,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $867,000. Finally, Levin Capital Strategies L.P. boosted its stake in Unilever by 35.7% during the fourth quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 428,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,762,000 after acquiring an additional 112,677 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $60.35. The company had a trading volume of 1,281,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,824,490. The company has a market capitalization of $151.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $57.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.84. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $62.65.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s payout ratio is 55.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 3rd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Argus increased their price target on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $58.33.

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.