Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by Intrust Bank NA

Intrust Bank NA boosted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,258 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,937 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 131,349 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $59.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. 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 currently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.