Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 29.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,386 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,258 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $986,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.33.

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Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of UL traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $58.64. The stock had a trading volume of 2,248,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,511,228. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $145.25 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $57.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.45.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Unilever 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.