Moran Wealth Management LLC Sells 3,383 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,383 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $5,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 8,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $60.29 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $56.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.80. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $149.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.