D.A. Davidson & CO. Lowers Holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,204 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Unilever were worth $1,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Unilever during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on UL shares. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL opened at $56.14 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.08. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

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 paid a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th.

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.