Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Principle Wealth Partners LLC

Principle Wealth Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 523 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 6.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,293,000 after buying an additional 515,088 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,748,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238,734 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Unilever by 1.8% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,819,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,664,000 after purchasing an additional 67,190 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Unilever by 2.1% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 3,454,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,654,000 after buying an additional 72,277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Group LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,582,000 after buying an additional 47,256 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on UL. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

Unilever Price Performance

UL opened at $51.24 on Monday. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $49.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.56.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%.

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.