Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Sold by Sepio Capital LP

Sepio Capital LP cut its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,096 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,160 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 26.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,811,000 after purchasing an additional 31,186 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,364,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 14.1% in the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 12,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $831,000 after buying an additional 1,578 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 18.4% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 2,428 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 5.3% during the third quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 207,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,476,000 after acquiring an additional 10,408 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $60.16 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $149.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.05.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Unilever Company 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.