Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Reduces Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 150,171 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,254 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,821,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,376,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invested Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Invested Advisors now owns 3,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $56.92 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $54.95 and a 52 week high of $74.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $62.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.73.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Unilever PLC will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.5547 dividend. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.