Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 1,858 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Trust Co. of Vermont reduced its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 35,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,858 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Unilever by 7.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,169,000 after acquiring an additional 22,325 shares during the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,273,000 after acquiring an additional 194,165 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Unilever by 3.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,812,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,588,000 after acquiring an additional 63,835 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:UL opened at $55.68 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.28.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

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.