Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $3.70 Million Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,314 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,278 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,385,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,530,733. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $57.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

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Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. Unilever's payout ratio is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.