GAMMA Investing LLC Takes $325,000 Position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,748,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,556,000 after acquiring an additional 1,238,734 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in Unilever by 6.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,293,000 after buying an additional 515,088 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Unilever by 4,657.3% during the third quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 431,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,302,000 after buying an additional 422,230 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management increased its position in Unilever by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,512,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,122,000 after purchasing an additional 290,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Unilever by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH now owns 1,215,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,903,000 after purchasing an additional 247,004 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $48.08 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $49.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.52. Unilever PLC has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.4582 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on UL shares. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley downgraded Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

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.