Whipplewood Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 155.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the third quarter worth $1,388,000. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,574,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $56.61 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.93. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87.

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 paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.