Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management reduced its stake in Unilever by 7.7% in Q4, selling 51,004 shares and now holds 614,490 shares valued at about $40.19 million.
• Unilever posted a notable earnings miss, reporting $0.75 EPS versus $1.75 expected and $11.87 billion in revenue versus $31.39 billion expected, while analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $65.55.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.5547 (annualized $2.22) for a yield of ~3.8%, and UL shares trade around $58.12 with a 52‑week range of $54.95–$74.97.

Advisors Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 614,490 shares of the company's stock after selling 51,004 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $40,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,844 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,745,000 after buying an additional 34,982 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 196.2% in the fourth quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 551 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 160.8% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC now owns 13,584 shares of the company's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $58.12 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.95 and a 52 week high of $74.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $63.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.93.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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