Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Lowers Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. decreased its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 599,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,005 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $34,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Unilever by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in Unilever by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $59.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $148.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.62.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

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.