Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stock Position Lowered by Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,232,599 shares of the company's stock after selling 240,302 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD's holdings in Unilever were worth $69,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. May Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 155.2% during the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock worth $37,193,000 after acquiring an additional 9,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after acquiring an additional 11,555 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $63.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $51.34 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.80.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.03%.

Unilever Company Profile

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.

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