Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Acquired by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,891 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 23,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,319,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 7,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Unilever by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 3,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Unilever by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 66,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,742,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $59.73 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.62. The stock has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on UL. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.