50,600 Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Bought by Guardian Partners Inc.

Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 50,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,841,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 493.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,785,000 after acquiring an additional 918,841 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $11,895,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $58.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $145.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.49.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on UL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.