Tweedy Browne Co LLC Trims Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Tweedy Browne Co LLC lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,803 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,471 shares during the period. Unilever makes up 0.3% of Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Unilever by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $59.58 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.17.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.