Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UL. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its holdings in Unilever by 2.7% in the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 17.3% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in Unilever by 1.2% during the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $59.00 on Friday. Unilever has a 1-year low of $46.46 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $63.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.08.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%.

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.