Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,941 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,676 shares during the period. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $4,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after buying an additional 2,935,227 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 2nd quarter valued at about $144,979,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 13,906.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,465,000 after acquiring an additional 2,252,105 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,578,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,319,966,000 after acquiring an additional 1,989,631 shares during the period. Finally, Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,461,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $60.65 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $68.37 and its 200 day moving average is $67.64. Unilever PLC has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $74.97.

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

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Argus raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. DZ Bank cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

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.