Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 8,564 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 262.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,825 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,564 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 8.7% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,264 shares of the company's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 130,757 shares of the company's stock worth $8,494,000 after purchasing an additional 10,759 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.0% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Unilever by 234.8% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 242,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,726,000 after purchasing an additional 169,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opes Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth $211,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 1.7 %

UL traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $59.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,371,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,527,867. The stock has a market cap of $146.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $56.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.85.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. 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.