Banco de Sabadell S.A Has $692,000 Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Banco de Sabadell S.A lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,208 shares of the company’s stock after selling 467 shares during the quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A’s holdings in Unilever were worth $692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $2,841,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in Unilever by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 18,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after buying an additional 2,543 shares during the period. Marietta Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 460.2% in the 4th quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC now owns 17,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after buying an additional 14,781 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 340,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,331,000 after acquiring an additional 25,332 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $58.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $145.50 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.28 and a 200-day moving average of $59.49.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. 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.