Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Whittier Trust Co.

Whittier Trust Co. cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,850 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,070,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 209.0% in the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the second quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $62.10 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.32 and a one year high of $65.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $61.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.72.

Unilever Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Research cut Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.