Auxier Asset Management Lowers Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Auxier Asset Management trimmed its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 5.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 112,743 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,800 shares during the quarter. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Unilever were worth $6,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $151,263,000. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,451,000 after buying an additional 2,027,221 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 107.1% in the first quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,910,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,091,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505,233 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,672,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,830,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,051,000 after acquiring an additional 951,446 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Up 0.1 %

UL opened at $64.41 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.71. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $65.86. The company has a market capitalization of $160.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.4773 dividend. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 55.10%.

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.