Aviance Capital Partners LLC Sells 550 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Aviance Capital Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,306 shares of the company’s stock after selling 550 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,492,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Unilever by 118.0% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 8,949 shares during the period. Haven Private LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $450,000. Destination Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 134,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 113.9% during the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,194,000 after acquiring an additional 11,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth $1,154,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.19 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $144.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is $56.66 and its 200 day moving average is $59.85.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

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.