Liberty One Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Liberty One Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,237 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,032 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Unilever by 33.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,668,000 after buying an additional 232,945 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st 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. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 65.1% in the 1st 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. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 70.6% in the 1st 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. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 211,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,996,000 after purchasing an additional 15,421 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $62.93 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $61.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.71. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $54.32 and a 12 month high of $65.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.5175 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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