Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Bought by Saturna Capital Corp

Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 597,643 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 23,318 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $33,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $59.33 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report 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. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.