Horizon Investments LLC Increases Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 94.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,546 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,266 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Unilever by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 19,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after buying an additional 3,722 shares during the last quarter. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after buying an additional 5,059 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Unilever by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $58.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $145.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.09 and a 200 day moving average of $59.58. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend 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.