Unilever (NYSE:UL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Unilever (NYSE:UL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $58.19 on Friday. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.85.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Unilever by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,345,000 after buying an additional 250,053 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,191,000 after buying an additional 327,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,883,000 after buying an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.