Proficio Capital Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 3,700 Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $58.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $145.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever PLC has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $57.54 and a 200 day moving average of $59.33.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

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.