Trillium Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 790,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,568 shares during the period. Unilever comprises 1.2% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $44,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Down 1.7 %

Unilever stock opened at $58.70 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.58. The stock has a market cap of $145.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Unilever 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.