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

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.33.

UL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Unilever by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,317,000 after acquiring an additional 257,538 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,345,000 after acquiring an additional 250,053 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,191,000 after acquiring an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.1 %

UL opened at $59.60 on Wednesday. Unilever has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $65.87. The company has a market cap of $147.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50 day moving average is $57.74 and its 200 day moving average is $59.13.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

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.