Grandfield & Dodd LLC Sells 13,671 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Grandfield & Dodd LLC trimmed its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 412,022 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,671 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises 1.4% of Grandfield & Dodd LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Grandfield & Dodd LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $23,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Garrett Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 11,605 shares of the company's stock valued at $658,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $1,209,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 38,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,170,000 after buying an additional 11,620 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 262.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 11,825 shares of the company's stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 8,564 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Down 0.3 %

UL traded down $0.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $58.19. 1,736,477 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,528,064. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The stock's 50-day moving average is $56.64 and its 200 day moving average is $59.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Unilever's payout ratio is 53.01%.

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.