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

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.00.

UL has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Unilever from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its position in Unilever by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 104,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,554 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 108,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,411,000 after purchasing an additional 7,437 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Unilever during the 3rd quarter worth $1,176,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 8,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $63.18 on Friday. Unilever has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $61.51 and a 200-day moving average of $61.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.40.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.5175 per share. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.31%.

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.