Polen Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Polen Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 244,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,682 shares during the period. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $13,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Unilever by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 0.5% during the third quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,568,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.74 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The business’s 50-day moving average is $56.95 and its 200 day moving average is $59.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.75 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.