Modera Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Modera Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 236,630 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,211 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $13,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 155.2% in the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,193,000 after buying an additional 9,528 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth $11,694,000. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 236.2% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,388,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $56.61 on Friday. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.50.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given 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 dividend yield of 3.30%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever 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.