Unilever (NYSE:UL) Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday.

UL has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. 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 research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $65.44 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $163.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.48. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $62.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.31.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 54.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 4.1% during the second quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc grew its holdings in Unilever by 2.7% during the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 17.3% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 2.5% during the second quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 7,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.