Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Acquired by United Capital Financial Advisors LLC

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 28.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 599,334 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 131,682 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $33,982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. 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 research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE UL opened at $62.14 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

About Unilever

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.