Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 29,298 shares of the company’s stock after selling 731 shares during the quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.35.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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