Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 3,005 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 34,784 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,005 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake 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 worth $1,673,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,421,054 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth $45,413,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 764.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 775,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,185,000 after acquiring an additional 685,848 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 220.9% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 626,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,284,000 after acquiring an additional 431,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter worth $24,374,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $60.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $147.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.22, a PEG ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.43 and a 200 day moving average of $61.65. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.66.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.