13,816 Shares in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Bought by Potentia Wealth

Potentia Wealth acquired a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $783,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,464,000 after purchasing an additional 131,349 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $57.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.