Eastern Bank Sells 1,936 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Eastern Bank decreased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 40,944 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,936 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc increased its stake in Unilever by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 4.5% during the third quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 4,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 4.3% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 4,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $55.06 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $136.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $58.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.35.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 56.63%.

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.