Becker Capital Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Becker Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Free Report) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,167 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,944 shares during the period. Becker Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 77.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,025,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 3rd quarter worth $3,310,000. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,756,000. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 2.7% during the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 39,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on UL. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE:UL traded up $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $63.47. 1,978,209 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,559,471. The firm's fifty day moving average is $60.21 and its 200-day moving average is $58.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $51.90 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.5151 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.