Yacktman Asset Management LP Cuts Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Yacktman Asset Management LP trimmed its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 290,653 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,579 shares during the quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $14,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 672,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,239,000 after buying an additional 227,681 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,582,000 after acquiring an additional 47,256 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3,718.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 171,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,321,000 after purchasing an additional 167,146 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 762,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,946,000 after purchasing an additional 98,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 47,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of UL traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $51.22. 3,281,274 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,875,859. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.53. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.16 and a 12-month high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.4582 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

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.