Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,117 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,435 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $687,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,193,000 after buying an additional 9,528 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the third quarter worth $1,388,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $57.74 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.28 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.50.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

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.