Chase Investment Counsel Corp Lowers Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Chase Investment Counsel Corp trimmed its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,246 shares of the company’s stock after selling 495 shares during the quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Unilever by 111.5% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 215.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 586 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unilever by 51.5% in the third quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 606 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Up 0.5 %

UL opened at $51.50 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $55.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $49.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.59. The company has a market cap of $129.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 57.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

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.