Leisure Capital Management Sells 5,705 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Leisure Capital Management trimmed its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 27.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,705 shares during the period. Leisure Capital Management’s holdings in Unilever were worth $732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 9,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.6% in the third quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 40,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,023,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 28.1% during the 3rd quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 8,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 975 shares during the period. Finally, First Personal Financial Services grew its holdings in Unilever by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 195,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,648,000 after acquiring an additional 6,768 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $51.24. The company had a trading volume of 4,278,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,049,528. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $49.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.56. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.4556 per share. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

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.