Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 790,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,568 shares during the quarter. Unilever makes up approximately 1.2% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $44,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after buying an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 493.4% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 7,466.0% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 629,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,897,000 after buying an additional 621,248 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.70 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $57.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid 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%.

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.