Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,547 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 406 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $2,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,125,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. SPC Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 5,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 654,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,133,000 after buying an additional 15,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 55,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,120,000 after buying an additional 4,399 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

UL opened at $58.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $144.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.86.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.