Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC Sells 3,230,190 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 5,106,036 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,230,190 shares during the quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $331,688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UL. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 393.5% in the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the second quarter worth $30,000. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in Unilever by 54.3% in the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 202.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $59.90 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.84. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

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.