Unilever (NYSE:UL) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of Unilever stock traded down $1.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $63.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,021,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,598,430. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $58.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.81. The company has a market capitalization of $157.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever has a one year low of $47.80 and a one year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its stake in Unilever by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company's stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 39,953 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,379,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock worth $524,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management increased its stake 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 worth $373,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,956 shares of the company's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.