Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.67.

Several equities analysts have commented on UL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.4% in the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 11,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $685,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 8,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Unilever by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 21,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $59.82 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.11 and its 200 day moving average is $59.91. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $54.32 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.41.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is 59.03%.

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.