Royce & Associates LP Acquires 5,000 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP's holdings in Unilever were worth $3,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UL. 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 upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.33.

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Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

UL traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $58.64. 2,248,669 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,511,228. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company's fifty day moving average price is $57.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.49. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.