Clearbridge Investments LLC Purchases 2,170,242 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 140.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.15% of Unilever worth $210,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake 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 worth $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after buying an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,464,000 after buying an additional 131,349 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $59.18 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $146.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.21.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.