St. James Investment Company LLC Sells 78,222 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

St. James Investment Company LLC lessened its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 565,863 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,222 shares during the quarter. Unilever comprises about 5.9% of St. James Investment Company LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $37,007,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 108.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 141.3% during the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $57.89 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $54.95 and a 12-month high of $74.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.16.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Unilever PLC will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business 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 $0.5449 dividend. This represents a $2.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

About Unilever

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.