Natural Investments LLC Makes New $2.69 Million Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 47,456 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,690,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company's stock worth $163,008,000 after buying an additional 207,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp increased its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,169,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $122,993,000 after acquiring an additional 36,922 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. 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. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $60.29 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $56.76 and a 200 day moving average of $59.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Unilever Profile

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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