Davis Rea LTD. Sells 170 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Davis Rea LTD. lessened its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Davis Rea LTD.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Unilever by 13.9% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 69.7% in the first quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 5,867 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Unilever by 65.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 232,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,821,000 after purchasing an additional 91,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in Unilever by 70.6% in the first quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 15,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $60.47 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.66. The company has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.44 and a 200-day moving average of $61.60.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $0.5175 dividend. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 59.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

About Unilever

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.