Ellevest Inc. Lowers Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ellevest Inc. trimmed its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,986 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,223 shares during the quarter. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $62.60 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $53.04 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $154.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $60.76 and its 200 day moving average is $58.89.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.50.

About Unilever

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.