Smithfield Trust Co Sells 258 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Smithfield Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,361 shares of the company’s stock after selling 258 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Unilever were worth $381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UL. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,345,000 after purchasing an additional 250,053 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,926,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,955,000 after buying an additional 14,083 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Unilever by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,166,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,838,000 after buying an additional 742,260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group upgraded Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Unilever Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $60.46 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.32 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $61.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.29. The company has a market cap of $148.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.