ProVise Management Group LLC Purchases 7,304 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

ProVise Management Group LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 172,993 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,304 shares during the quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 981.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 493.4% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,105,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,785,000 after acquiring an additional 918,841 shares during the period. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 7,466.0% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 629,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,897,000 after acquiring an additional 621,248 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on UL. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of UL opened at $58.70 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $57.09 and its 200-day moving average is $59.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.