Ancora Advisors LLC Sells 15,983 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ancora Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 31.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,112 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,983 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Unilever were worth $1,934,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 140.1% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company's stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.50.

Unilever Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE UL traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $62.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,025,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,526,227. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $53.50 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $60.85 and a 200 day moving average of $58.88.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.5151 dividend. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.03%.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company in the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It operates through five segments: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. The Beauty & Wellbeing segment engages in the sale of hair care products, such as shampoo, conditioner, and styling; skin care products including face, hand, and body moisturizer; and prestige beauty and health & wellbeing products consist of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.