Motco Trims Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Motco lessened its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 82,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $56.46 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $56.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.96. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%.

About Unilever

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.