Guardian Capital LP Acquires 10,849 Shares of Unilever PLC $UL

Guardian Capital LP increased its holdings in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) by 7.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 165,353 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,849 shares during the period. Guardian Capital LP’s holdings in Unilever were worth $9,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its holdings in Unilever by 1,394.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 74,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,549,000 after acquiring an additional 69,388 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 79.1% during the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its position in Unilever by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 27,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 7,772 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $66.81 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.57 and a 200 day moving average of $68.27. Unilever PLC has a 52 week low of $61.78 and a 52 week high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Unilever PLC will post 3.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

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.