Clean Yield Group Sells 19,528 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Clean Yield Group trimmed its Unilever stake by 14.5%, selling 19,528 shares and leaving 115,430 shares valued at about $7.55 million; Unilever represents roughly 2.1% of the firm's holdings and is its eighth-largest position.
• Other institutional moves included Farther Finance increasing its position by 15.8% to 87,736 shares and Timber Creek Capital adding 24,163 shares (up 59.7%) to 64,661 shares, with institutional and hedge fund ownership at about 9.67%.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — MarketBeat shows an average rating of Hold with a $65.55 target — and Unilever recently missed quarterly estimates (EPS $0.75 vs. $1.75 consensus) while paying a $0.5547 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.22, ~3.8% yield).

Clean Yield Group trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 14.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 115,430 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,528 shares during the period. Unilever makes up about 2.1% of Clean Yield Group's holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Clean Yield Group's holdings in Unilever were worth $7,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Diversified Management Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $421,000. Invested Advisors raised its position in Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 3,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 87,736 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,738,000 after purchasing an additional 11,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Timber Creek Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 59.7% in the fourth quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 64,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,229,000 after purchasing an additional 24,163 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on UL. Weiss Ratings downgraded Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on Unilever and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.08 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $65.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.35. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $54.95 and a one year high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The firm had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th.

About Unilever

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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