Claris Advisors LLC MO Raises Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Claris Advisors LLC MO lifted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 9,523.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,042 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the quarter. Claris Advisors LLC MO’s holdings in Unilever were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE UL opened at $60.29 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.80. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $149.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

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.