Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Stake Lessened by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,639 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,222 shares during the quarter. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Unilever were worth $370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UL. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 35.3% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,748,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238,734 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 6.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,293,000 after acquiring an additional 515,088 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Unilever by 4,657.3% during the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 431,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,302,000 after buying an additional 422,230 shares during the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its position in Unilever by 13.1% during the third quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,512,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,122,000 after buying an additional 290,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Unilever by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 1,215,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,903,000 after buying an additional 247,004 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.00.

Unilever Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:UL traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,358,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,802,279. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.52. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.4582 dividend. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd.

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.