Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL cut its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 118,098 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,682 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Unilever were worth $6,696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after acquiring an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,464,000 after acquiring an additional 131,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $59.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.25.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was 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.