Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth about $151,263,000. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its holdings in Unilever by 1,866.0% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,221 shares in the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp grew its stake in Unilever by 107.1% in the first quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 2,910,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,091,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505,233 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Unilever by 598.7% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1 %

Unilever stock opened at $64.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $160.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $62.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.71. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $65.86.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.4773 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.10%.

About Unilever

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.