Cerity Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 195,097 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,952 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $11,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,191,000 after buying an additional 327,329 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock worth $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $176,806,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.
Unilever Price Performance
UL traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.12. 1,737,237 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,612,122. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $58.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.79. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.33.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Unilever
Unilever Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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