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

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $48.00.

UL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday.

Unilever Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $46.48 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $49.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.57. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.4582 dividend. This represents a $1.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UL. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 215.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 586 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 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.