Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Grows By 18.5%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, an increase of 18.5% from the February 13th total of 1,780,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UL. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 6,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 39,530 shares of the company's stock worth $2,568,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in Unilever by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 5,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock traded down $0.60 on Friday, reaching $58.64. 2,248,669 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,511,228. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.28 and a 200-day moving average of $59.49. The company has a market cap of $145.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.33.

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.