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

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

UL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in Unilever by 423.8% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 393.5% in the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Unilever in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. grew its stake in Unilever by 54.3% in the 2nd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $61.32 on Friday. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.71.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th.

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.