Saturna Capital Corp Grows Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Saturna Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 597,643 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 23,318 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $33,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Unilever by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $493,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 14.1% during the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth $203,000. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 236.2% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Services increased its stake in Unilever by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Keystone Financial Services now owns 11,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $59.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $56.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.77. The stock has a market cap of $147.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G 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.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.