Unilever (NYSE:UL) Stock Rating Lowered by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a sector perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on UL. StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.75.

Unilever Trading Up 0.5 %

UL opened at $56.12 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.90, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.49. Unilever has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.33.

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 $0.4755 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its stake in Unilever by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 4,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 4,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

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.