World Investment Advisors Boosts Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 38.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,557 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,602 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Unilever were worth $4,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,027 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,811,000 after purchasing an additional 31,186 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Unilever by 1,515.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 57,090 shares of the company's stock worth $3,709,000 after buying an additional 53,555 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth about $1,188,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 49.9% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 5,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,614,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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Unilever Stock Down 3.8 %

UL traded down $2.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $60.16. 5,916,359 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,568,832. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The company's 50-day moving average is $58.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.05. The company has a market cap of $149.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Unilever's payout ratio is 53.01%.

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.