Fisher Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,214,563 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,017,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 8.0% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 42,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,762,000 after buying an additional 3,138 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 8.7% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.5% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 30,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Unilever by 9.0% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 130,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,494,000 after purchasing an additional 10,759 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 7.0% during the third quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 109,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,136,000 after purchasing an additional 7,196 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $56.61 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $56.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.93. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.