SVB Wealth LLC Takes $413,000 Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $413,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,177 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 36,922 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,588,000 after buying an additional 63,835 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $57.99 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $143.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.87. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus 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.