Brokerages Set Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Target Price at $61.75

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

UL has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stablepoint Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 90,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares during the period. Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 38,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the period. GSB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. GSB Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,224,000 after acquiring an additional 849 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $687,000 after acquiring an additional 1,569 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:UL opened at $56.95 on Friday. Unilever has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.36.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th.

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.