MML Investors Services LLC Has $14.44 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 254,593 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 42,351 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $14,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 77.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,025,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth about $3,310,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,756,000. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.7% in the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 39,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,543,000 after buying an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $65.48 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $47.80 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The company's 50-day moving average is $58.96 and its 200-day moving average is $58.81.

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 issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.