Ceera Investments LLC Sells 2,520 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Ceera Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,090 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,520 shares during the period. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,479,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $853,000. SpiderRock Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 24.0% in the third quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 41,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,727,000 after purchasing an additional 8,111 shares during the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 0.6% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 126,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,208,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 6.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 14.1% in the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several research reports. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 1.7 %

UL opened at $59.24 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $146.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.83.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

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.