Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,585 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,119 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $7,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $62.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,274,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,614,070. The firm's 50 day moving average is $58.38 and its 200 day moving average is $58.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.