Marietta Investment Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 460.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,993 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,781 shares during the period. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after buying an additional 1,214,563 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $176,806,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,874,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,008,000 after purchasing an additional 207,549 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Unilever by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,847,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,464,000 after purchasing an additional 131,349 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded 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 Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

UL stock opened at $58.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $145.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 fifty day moving average price is $57.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.53.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.