Haverford Trust Co Sells 5,426 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Haverford Trust Co reduced its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,426 shares during the quarter. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in the fourth 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 boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,895,000. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 7.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Down 0.8 %

UL opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.34 and a 200-day moving average of $59.40. The stock has a market cap of $144.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.