Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Sells 19,254 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Levin Capital Strategies trimmed its Unilever stake by 11.4%, selling 19,254 shares in Q4 and now holds 150,171 shares valued at about $9.82 million.
• Other institutions were active: HF Advisory boosted its position by 1,135.3% to 388,355 shares ($25.4M) and several firms added stakes, with institutional ownership at roughly 9.67%.
• Unilever recently missed quarterly estimates (EPS $0.75 vs. $1.75 expected; revenue $11.87B vs. $31.39B expected), the stock trades below its 50- and 200-day averages, and the consensus analyst rating is a Hold with a $65.55 target.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 150,171 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,254 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,247,467 shares of the company's stock worth $73,950,000 after acquiring an additional 37,630 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 160.8% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 82,192 shares of the company's stock worth $5,375,000 after acquiring an additional 50,682 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 78,400 shares of the company's stock worth $5,127,000 after acquiring an additional 21,313 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $5,003,000. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 1,135.3% in the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 388,355 shares of the company's stock worth $25,398,000 after acquiring an additional 356,918 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on Unilever and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Trading Down 1.3%

UL opened at $56.92 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $62.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.73. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.95 and a 12-month high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.5547 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%.

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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