Wallace Capital Management Inc. Sells 10,687 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Wallace Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 286,379 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,687 shares during the period. Unilever accounts for 2.2% of Wallace Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Wallace Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $16,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Unilever by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its position in Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.50.

Unilever Trading Up 1.2%

UL stock opened at $62.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.84. The company has a market capitalization of $154.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $53.50 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

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.