Royce & Associates LP Increases Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,742,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 160,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,102,000 after acquiring an additional 9,590 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co raised its position in Unilever by 166.7% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Unilever by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,309,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,253,000 after purchasing an additional 8,949 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its position in Unilever by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 5,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 574,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,585,000 after purchasing an additional 20,149 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UL opened at $58.91 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.57. The company has a market capitalization of $146.19 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a P/E/G 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.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.