Freestone Capital Holdings LLC Sells 431 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,581 shares of the company’s stock after selling 431 shares during the quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,694,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 236.2% during the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $59.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $146.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $56.69 and a 200-day moving average of $59.84. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded 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 note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.