First Bank & Trust Lowers Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

First Bank & Trust lowered its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 36.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,863 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,037 shares during the quarter. First Bank & Trust's holdings in Unilever were worth $786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Unilever in the third quarter worth $40,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UL. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note 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 Tuesday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL traded up $0.60 on Friday, hitting $56.14. The stock had a trading volume of 2,742,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,727,069. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $56.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.13. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a 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.