Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC Sells 3,230,190 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,106,036 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,230,190 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Unilever worth $331,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Unilever by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 19,307 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 5,774 shares in the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at $1,188,000. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company's stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth $11,694,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Price Performance

UL traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.38. 1,756,956 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,578,205. The company's 50-day moving average is $61.34 and its 200 day moving average is $59.84. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.75.

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.