Modera Wealth Management LLC Lowers Position in Unilever PLC $UL

Modera Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 185,328 shares of the company’s stock after selling 30,051 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $12,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 108.8% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 141.3% in the third quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL opened at $55.73 on Wednesday. Unilever PLC has a 52-week low of $54.95 and a 52-week high of $74.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $66.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.73.

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

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.5547 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%.

Unilever 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.