Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Has $2.96 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,221 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,734 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 235,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,331,000 after acquiring an additional 14,022 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $11,895,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 54,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,117,000 after purchasing an additional 4,767 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp boosted its holdings in Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,169,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,993,000 after purchasing an additional 36,922 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

UL opened at $56.61 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $56.59 and a 200-day moving average of $59.93. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%.

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.