Principal Securities Inc. Purchases 8,344 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,759 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,344 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 15,941 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth approximately $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 21,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth approximately $1,388,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE UL traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $56.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,742,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,727,069. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The business's 50 day moving average price is $56.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.09.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%.

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.