Wade G W & Inc. Lowers Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Wade G W & Inc. lessened its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,166 shares of the company’s stock after selling 694 shares during the period. Wade G W & Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Unilever by 35.3% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after purchasing an additional 965,173 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 6.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,293,000 after purchasing an additional 515,088 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4,657.3% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 431,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,302,000 after purchasing an additional 422,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its stake in Unilever by 13.1% in the 3rd 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 period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL traded up $0.05 during trading on Thursday, reaching $54.07. 1,435,879 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,893,161. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.99. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $54.54.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.4556 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Argus upped their target price on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut 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 report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

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.