Natural Investments LLC Makes New $2.69 Million Investment in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 47,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,690,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 1.8 %

Unilever stock opened at $60.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $149.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.80. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on UL shares. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.