Unilever (NYSE:UL) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

UL has been the topic of a number of other reports. TD Cowen started coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $57.40 on Tuesday. Unilever has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.31.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Unilever by 7.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Unilever by 19.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,416,000 after buying an additional 668,913 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management lifted its position in Unilever by 0.8% in the second quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,169,000 after buying an additional 22,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 7.9% during the third quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.