Avalon Trust Co Has $182,000 Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Avalon Trust Co trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,750 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. Avalon Trust Co’s holdings in Unilever were worth $182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 102.6% during the 4th quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 13,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $677,000 after purchasing an additional 7,074 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $785,000. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 29.6% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 8,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 16,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $815,000 after buying an additional 5,042 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Unilever Stock Performance

UL traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $52.13. 4,413,133 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,468,891. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.16 and a one year high of $55.69. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $49.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.69.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.4556 dividend. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th.

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.