Ceera Investments LLC Sells 2,520 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ceera Investments LLC reduced its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,090 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,520 shares during the period. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 8,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $59.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $146.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $56.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.83.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. 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, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.