Earnest Partners LLC Lowers Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Earnest Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,061 shares of the company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,418,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd now owns 37,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,900,000 after buying an additional 4,381 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,312,000 after buying an additional 214,635 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,416,000 after buying an additional 668,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 13,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 2,425 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded down $0.27 on Tuesday, hitting $60.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,233,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,782,749. The company has a market capitalization of $151.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $56.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.98. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.16 and a 12-month high of $61.07.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s payout ratio is 54.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on UL shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $58.33.

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.