Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,114 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,856 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $8,455,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock worth $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 66.4% during the fourth 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. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded up $0.32 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,437,532 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,534,161. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $148.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $57.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.14.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Unilever Company 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.