Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Shares Acquired by Hartford Funds Management Co LLC

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 32.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,375 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,282 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in Unilever were worth $454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UL. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Unilever by 35.3% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,748,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238,734 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 6.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,293,000 after acquiring an additional 515,088 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 4,657.3% in the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 431,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,302,000 after acquiring an additional 422,230 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management boosted its stake in Unilever by 13.1% in the third quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,512,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,122,000 after acquiring an additional 290,690 shares during the period. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 25.5% during the fourth quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 1,215,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,903,000 after buying an additional 247,004 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL traded up $0.37 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $51.87. The company had a trading volume of 3,005,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,896,179. The company has a market cap of $129.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $55.77. The business’s 50-day moving average is $49.14 and its 200 day moving average is $48.61.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.4556 per share. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UL shares. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

Unilever Company 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.