Physicians Financial Services Inc. Has $595,000 Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Physicians Financial Services Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,497 shares of the company’s stock after selling 226 shares during the period. Physicians Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 19,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,566 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 13,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 1,891 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 64,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,682,000 after buying an additional 2,116 shares during the period. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in Unilever by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,255,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $55.52 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.13.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th.

Unilever 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.