Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL – Get Rating) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. Societe Generale upgraded shares of Unilever from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 19th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 15th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Unilever in a research report on Friday, February 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company.

Shares of UL traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $45.01. 3,050,712 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,813,245. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.97. Unilever has a 52-week low of $43.11 and a 52-week high of $61.81.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.4873 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 24th. This represents a $1.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.33%.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Unilever by 1.7% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 22,057,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,195,946,000 after purchasing an additional 362,850 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Unilever by 2.3% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,011,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,688,000 after purchasing an additional 225,117 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $391,267,000. Pendal Group Ltd grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 29,662.4% during the fourth quarter. Pendal Group Ltd now owns 5,689,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,662,000 after buying an additional 5,669,969 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,588,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,838,000 after acquiring an additional 148,297 shares in the last quarter. 16.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Unilever Company Profile (Get Rating)

Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company. It operates through Beauty & Personal Care, Foods & Refreshment, and Home Care segments. The Beauty & Personal Care segment provides skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and skin cleansing products. The Foods & Refreshment segment offers ice cream, soups, bouillons, seasonings, mayonnaise, ketchups, and tea categories.

Further Reading