Zevin Asset Management LLC Has $14.90 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Zevin Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 262,752 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,328 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises 2.2% of Zevin Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Zevin Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $14,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 574,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,585,000 after purchasing an additional 20,149 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 33,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 166,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,444,000 after acquiring an additional 7,618 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $3,182,000. Finally, DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $507,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reissued 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.74 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.72. The firm has a market cap of $145.75 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued 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 3.18%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.