Cullen Investment Group LTD. Buys Shares of 77,933 Unilever PLC $UL

Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 77,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,003,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 108.8% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 141.3% in the 3rd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Argus upgraded Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE UL opened at $60.75 on Thursday. Unilever PLC has a 1-year low of $60.32 and a 1-year high of $74.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $68.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.59.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The business had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.5547 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%.

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.