Columbia Asset Management Has $1.04 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Columbia Asset Management trimmed its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,265 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,605 shares during the quarter. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth approximately $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 140.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $59.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $57.74 and a 200-day moving average of $59.13. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. 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, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

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.