Assetmark Inc. Acquires 76,925 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Unilever (NYSE:UL) by 29.4%, buying 76,925 shares to hold 338,317 shares valued at $22,126,000 at quarter-end; institutional investors now own about 9.67% of the company.
• Unilever missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.75 EPS vs. $1.75 expected and $11.87B in revenue vs. $31.39B expected, and the stock opened at $58.08 (52-week range $54.95–$74.97).
• Analyst coverage is mixed with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.55 (2 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 4 Hold, 3 Sell).

Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 29.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 338,317 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 76,925 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $22,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Third View Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,253,000. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,136 shares of the company's stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Fourpath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $639,000. Aua Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,278,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 2,739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UL. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered 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. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Unilever and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $58.08 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $65.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.35. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.95 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.39 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.5547 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%.

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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