Quantbot Technologies LP Has $3.29 Million Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 41.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,935 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,855 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 66.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,881,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,517 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 493.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after purchasing an additional 918,841 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $11,895,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on UL. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $145.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $57.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.49.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

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.