Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. decreased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,810 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Equity Investment Corp increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,169,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,993,000 after purchasing an additional 36,922 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $60.29 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $56.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.80. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $149.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.