Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Sells 475 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. reduced its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,504 shares of the company’s stock after selling 475 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 14.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 15,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Unilever by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,811,000 after buying an additional 31,186 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1,515.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 57,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,709,000 after buying an additional 53,555 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.0% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 45,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,972,000 after buying an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $11,694,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $59.18 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $57.61 and a 200 day moving average of $59.21. The stock has a market cap of $146.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

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.