Boston Common Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC cut its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 20.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 262,282 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,574 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $14,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 357.4% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 35,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,003,000 after acquiring an additional 27,609 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 4,724 shares in the last quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. now owns 47,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $197,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Unilever stock traded up $0.76 on Friday, reaching $56.20. 306,035 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,040,789. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $57.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.31.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%.

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.