Smart Money Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Smart Money Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,658 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. Smart Money Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 981.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Unilever by 249.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 598.7% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew 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 worth $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Unilever by 493.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after buying an additional 918,841 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4 %

Unilever stock opened at $55.68 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.32. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

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.