Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 140.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.15% of Unilever worth $210,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock worth $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth $11,694,000. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 43,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,452,000 after buying an additional 6,404 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Unilever Trading Up 4.3 %
Shares of UL traded up $2.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $62.44. 5,482,145 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,546,590. The business has a fifty day moving average of $57.82 and a 200-day moving average of $59.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.68 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.
Unilever Cuts Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded 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 research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.33.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on UL
About Unilever
(
Free Report)
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.
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