QRG Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Unilever PLC $UL

QRG Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,031 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,055 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $8,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Unilever by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after buying an additional 2,935,227 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 4.4% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,537,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,336,048,000 after buying an additional 959,269 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,773,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,261,000 after acquiring an additional 91,049 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 3.5% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,001,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,183,000 after acquiring an additional 133,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 0.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,293,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,221,000 after acquiring an additional 17,763 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $58.41 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $61.90 and its 200 day moving average is $65.58. Unilever PLC has a fifty-two week low of $54.95 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Unilever PLC will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.5449 per share. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UL. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Kepler Capital Markets cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.