Sierra Ocean LLC Makes New Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,553 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 155.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 16.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company's stock worth $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company's stock worth $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth $1,388,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL traded up $0.71 on Wednesday, hitting $55.63. 3,625,406 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,691,923. The business's fifty day moving average is $56.97 and its 200 day moving average is $60.19. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.75.

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.