Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stock Holdings Lessened by Earnest Partners LLC

Earnest Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,985 shares of the company’s stock after selling 438 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,154,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 7.3% during 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 buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $63.17 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $59.62 and its 200-day moving average is $58.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $51.34 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

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.