Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Rockland Trust Co.

Rockland Trust Co. reduced its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 178,003 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,421 shares during the quarter. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $10,093,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Unilever by 1.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 56,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,118,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the second quarter worth approximately $604,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Unilever by 26.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,145,000 after buying an additional 911,443 shares during the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.8% in the second quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 13,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $759,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% during the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 43,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,401,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $54.74 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $57.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.35. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $135.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on UL. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.