Garner Asset Management Corp Sells 230 Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Garner Asset Management Corp cut its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,390 shares of the company’s stock after selling 230 shares during the period. Garner Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Unilever were worth $736,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $151,263,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $771,000. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Unilever by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 717,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,765,000 after buying an additional 26,848 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 6,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $541,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE UL opened at $64.39 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $46.16 and a 52-week high of $65.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $61.80 and a 200-day moving average of $55.54. The company has a market capitalization of $160.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Unilever’s payout ratio is 55.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.