Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Down 18.8% in October

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,030,000 shares, a drop of 18.8% from the September 30th total of 2,500,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group raised Unilever to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 423.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 529 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 393.5% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 533 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UL traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $62.61. 1,681,504 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,617,324. Unilever has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.38.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35.

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.