Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Grows Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 160,534 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,590 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avalon Trust Co boosted its position in Unilever by 166.7% during the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,309,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,253,000 after acquiring an additional 8,949 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 5,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 574,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,585,000 after acquiring an additional 20,149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviso Financial Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 33,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $59.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $57.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.62. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

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.