Clearbridge Investments LLC Buys 2,170,242 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 140.1% during the 4th quarter, according to 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 quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.15% of Unilever worth $210,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $92,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 73,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,103,000 after purchasing an additional 13,508 shares in the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $1,768,000. Portland Global Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Portland Global Advisors LLC now owns 107,066 shares of the company's stock worth $6,071,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of UL traded down $2.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $60.16. The stock had a trading volume of 5,916,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,567,532. The firm has a market cap of $149.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.12. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.