Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Has $1.18 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,760 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,177,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UL. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 155.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 236.2% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the third quarter worth approximately $1,388,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $54.89 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.30. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm 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 $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th.

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.