Ativo Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ativo Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,480 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Ativo Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in Unilever by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 16,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $11,908,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $463,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $56.14 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.09.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

Unilever Company 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.