Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Garner Asset Management Corp

Garner Asset Management Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,620 shares of the company’s stock after selling 450 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $61.88 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $153.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.85.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.