Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Cuts Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Alpha Cubed Investments LLC cut its stake in Unilever by 12.2% in Q4, selling 33,747 shares and finishing the period with 242,595 shares worth about $15.87 million.
• Unilever missed quarterly estimates, reporting $0.75 EPS and $11.87 billion in revenue versus analysts' consensus of $1.75 EPS and $31.39 billion revenue.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Unilever holds a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $65.55 (coverage includes 2 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 5 Hold, and 3 Sell ratings).

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,595 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,747 shares during the quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $15,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UL. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 141.3% during the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on UL shares. Argus raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets cut Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE UL opened at $58.41 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $54.95 and a twelve month high of $74.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.90 and a 200 day moving average of $65.58.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. Analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.5449 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%.

Unilever Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever's corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever's business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.