Unilever PLC $UL Stock Holdings Lowered by Truist Financial Corp

Key Points

• Truist Financial trimmed its Unilever stake by 3.2%, selling 29,619 shares to leave 885,624 shares valued at about $57.92 million.
• Earnings miss: Unilever reported $0.75 EPS versus $1.75 expected and revenue of $11.87 billion versus $31.39 billion expected, a sizeable shortfall.
• Dividend and market view: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5449 (annualized $2.18, 3.7% yield), the stock traded near $58.68 (down 1.8%), and analysts' consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $65.55.

Truist Financial Corp lowered its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 885,624 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,619 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in Unilever were worth $57,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of 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 valued at $73,950,000 after acquiring 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 valued at $5,375,000 after acquiring 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 valued at $5,127,000 after acquiring an additional 21,313 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased 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 purchasing an additional 356,918 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.68 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.95 and a 1-year high of $74.97. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $62.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.65.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share 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. Equities analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Argus raised Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.55.

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.

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.