Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Reduces Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership cut its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 348,444 shares of the company's stock after selling 108,479 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership's holdings in Unilever were worth $19,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $161,464,000 after purchasing an additional 131,349 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of UL traded down $2.39 on Friday, reaching $60.16. The stock had a trading volume of 5,916,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,568,832. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.01 and a 200 day moving average of $59.08.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.