Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Position Lessened by Transcend Capital Advisors LLC

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC cut its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 33.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,112 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,064 shares during the quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 51.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 672,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,239,000 after acquiring an additional 227,681 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,582,000 after buying an additional 47,256 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 3,718.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 171,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,321,000 after acquiring an additional 167,146 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,038,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 762,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,946,000 after buying an additional 98,275 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $51.50 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.16 and a one year high of $55.77. The firm has a market cap of $129.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $49.12 and its 200-day moving average is $48.59.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.4556 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.83%.

Unilever Company 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.