Arjuna Capital Reduces Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Arjuna Capital reduced its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 20.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,474 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,825 shares during the quarter. Arjuna Capital’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $59.24 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. 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.