River Road Asset Management LLC Lowers Stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 17.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 777,743 shares of the company’s stock after selling 161,738 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $37,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UL. Quilter Plc bought a new stake in Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at about $244,998,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Unilever by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 215.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $46.69. 4,907,074 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,747,570. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.57.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.4582 per share. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

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.