Wells Fargo & Company MN Trims Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Wells Fargo & Company MN reduced its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,757,076 shares of the company's stock after selling 134,954 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.19% of Unilever worth $269,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 66.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company's stock worth $163,008,000 after acquiring an additional 207,549 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

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Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL traded up $1.97 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.88. 3,906,218 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,614,606. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $58.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.85. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. Unilever's payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded 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 assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Company Profile

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.