Unilever PLC $UL Shares Sold by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lowered its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,507 shares of the company’s stock after selling 54,906 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,061,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Unilever by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 85.0% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 7,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 3,569 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.9% in the second quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the second quarter valued at $297,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $62.37 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $61.78 and a 1 year high of $74.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.97.

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

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%.

About Unilever

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.