Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Acquired by Hartford Funds Management Co LLC

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,157 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 981.6% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 493.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after buying an additional 918,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7,466.0% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 629,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,897,000 after buying an additional 621,248 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.19 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.85.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank raised 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 assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

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.