Cullen Capital Management LLC Lowers Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Cullen Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,639,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 101,360 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises 1.7% of Cullen Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Cullen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $149,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Auxano Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $296,000. Stonegate Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,193,000 after buying an additional 9,528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 43,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,452,000 after buying an additional 6,404 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $60.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $58.01 and a 200 day moving average of $59.12.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded 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 issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.