Signaturefd LLC Boosts Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,891 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after acquiring an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,169,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,993,000 after acquiring an additional 36,922 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $59.73 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $57.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

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 issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several research reports. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.