Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Purchased by Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.

Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,703 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its stake in Unilever by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $59.18 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $57.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.25. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is 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.