S.A. Mason LLC Decreases Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

S.A. Mason LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,183 shares of the company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $203,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bar Harbor Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Unilever by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 50,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,443,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares during the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 15,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,712 shares during the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 690,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,477,000 after purchasing an additional 38,359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 2,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $50.13 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $49.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.74. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.4582 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, December 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company. It operates through Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream segments. 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, which includes the vitamins, minerals, and supplements.