Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Lowers Stake in Unilever PLC $UL

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC cut its position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 297,406 shares of the company’s stock after selling 110,043 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $17,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 141.3% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Unilever by 548.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 668 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 46.3% in the third quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 79.1% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $66.81 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.27. Unilever PLC has a 12-month low of $61.78 and a 12-month high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $0.5547 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.