Life Planning Partners Inc Takes Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 31,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,768,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 66.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,464,000 after buying an additional 131,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:UL opened at $59.18 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $146.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $57.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.25.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

About Unilever

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.