Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Arvest Investments Inc.

Arvest Investments Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,250 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,233 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $58.91 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $57.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.57. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.