Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Holdings Raised by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 187.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,190 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35,986 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $63.71 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $47.55 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $58.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.76.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.