Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. lowered its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 222,783 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,001 shares during the period. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $14,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Unilever by 9.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,054,973,000 after buying an additional 2,935,227 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Unilever by 13,906.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,465,000 after buying an additional 2,252,105 shares during the period. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,461,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,048,000 after acquiring an additional 959,269 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 78.8% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,933,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,261,000 after acquiring an additional 852,099 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE UL opened at $55.46 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $54.95 and a 1-year high of $74.97. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.94.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.5547 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever 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.