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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on UL. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.50.

Unilever Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $62.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $154.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.89. Unilever has a 12-month low of $53.04 and a 12-month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.03%.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.