Seven Mile Advisory Increases Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Seven Mile Advisory grew its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,057 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Seven Mile Advisory’s holdings in Unilever were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after buying an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after acquiring an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $59.18 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $57.61 and its 200 day moving average is $59.21. The company has a market capitalization of $146.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. 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.