Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 3,005 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,784 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,005 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 209.0% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Three equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Unilever Stock Down 0.5%

Unilever stock opened at $60.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $147.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $61.43 and its 200 day moving average is $61.65. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.32 and a 12-month high of $65.66.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.31%.

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.