Boston Common Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 20.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 262,282 shares of the company's stock after selling 68,574 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $14,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company's stock worth $241,145,000 after buying an additional 911,443 shares in the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company's stock worth $152,169,000 after buying an additional 22,325 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company's stock worth $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.68. 3,801,419 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,047,655. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The business has a 50 day moving average of $57.62 and a 200-day moving average of $60.28.

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 $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Unilever Company 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.