Haverford Trust Co Sells 5,426 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Haverford Trust Co trimmed its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,426 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Unilever were worth $3,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 15,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 151,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,811,000 after acquiring an additional 31,186 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 22.2% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 205,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,320,000 after purchasing an additional 37,255 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 823.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 18,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,215,000 after purchasing an additional 16,679 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE UL opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.40.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued 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 3.21%. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.