GQG Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

GQG Partners LLC lowered its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 35.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,496,305 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,638,647 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Unilever worth $368,340,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $11,895,000. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $57.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.40. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders 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 3.21%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Unilever Company 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.