Unilever (NYSE:UL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to "Buy" Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday morning.

UL has been the topic of a number of other reports. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.33.

Unilever Price Performance

UL traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $59.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,380,209 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,522,238. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $56.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. Unilever has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Remove Ads

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. Unilever's payout ratio is currently 53.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,193,000 after acquiring an additional 9,528 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 3rd quarter valued at about $11,694,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 236.2% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.