Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Sells 27,467 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. reduced its Unilever stake by 43.6%, selling 27,467 shares and retaining 35,500 shares worth $2.322 million at the end of the quarter.
• Unilever missed quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.75 versus a $1.75 consensus and revenue of $11.87 billion versus $31.39 billion expected, and the stock traded down about 1.8% (50-day MA $62.20, 200-day MA $65.65).
• The article notes Unilever cut its dividend and disclosed a quarterly payment of $0.5449 ($2.18 annualized, ~3.7% yield; ex-dividend May 15), while analysts maintain a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" with a $65.55 price target.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 43.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,467 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Unilever Trading Down 1.8%

UL stock opened at $58.68 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $62.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.65. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. Analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.55.

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.

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.