Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Oxbow Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Oxbow Advisors LLC reduced its Unilever stake by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 20,844 shares and ending with 116,901 shares valued at about $7.65 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions in Unilever, and hedge funds and other institutions now own 9.67% of the company’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but cautious: Unilever has a Hold consensus rating with an average target price of $65.55, while the stock was trading at $58.38 after slipping 0.6%.

Oxbow Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 116,901 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,844 shares during the quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $7,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 37,630 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 160.8% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 82,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,375,000 after purchasing an additional 50,682 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 78,400 shares of the company's stock worth $5,127,000 after purchasing an additional 21,313 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $5,003,000. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1,135.3% during the fourth 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Down 0.6%

UL stock opened at $58.38 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $61.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.42. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $54.95 and a 1 year 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The firm had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued 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.

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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