Unilever’s (UL) “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank reiterated their hold rating on shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $58.61 on Tuesday. Unilever has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $145.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $61.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.55.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.4755 dividend. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 55.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UL. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Unilever by 23.1% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,312,000 after purchasing an additional 214,635 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Unilever by 16.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,180,000 after buying an additional 15,941 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 249.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares in the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $1,388,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 236.2% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 21,441 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.