American Century Companies Inc. Has $161.46 Million Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 131,349 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.11% of Unilever worth $161,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

Unilever stock opened at $58.64 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.49. The stock has a market cap of $145.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on UL. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average 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.