American Assets Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• American Assets Investment Management reduced its Unilever stake by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 18,889 shares and leaving it with 151,111 shares valued at about $9.88 million.
• Unilever shares were trading down 0.6% at $58.38, and the stock has ranged from a 52-week low of $54.95 to a high of $74.97.
• The company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.75 versus the $1.75 estimate and revenue of $11.87 billion versus the $31.39 billion forecast. Unilever also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.5449 per share, implying a 3.7% annual yield.

American Assets Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 151,111 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,889 shares during the quarter. American Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $9,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 0.6% during the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,683,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the company's stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company's stock worth $2,376,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invested Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 3,987 shares of the company's stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.38 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.95 and a one year high of $74.97. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $61.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.42.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Company 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.

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