Unilever (NYSE:UL) Downgraded to Neutral Rating by BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. BNP Paribas Exane currently has $71.00 price target on the stock.

UL has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas set a $71.00 target price on Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.37.

Unilever Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE UL opened at $63.34 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $66.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.99. Unilever has a 12 month low of $61.11 and a 12 month high of $73.87.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 4.7% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,587 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 63,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,773,000 after purchasing an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 1st quarter worth $492,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 62,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,717,000 after purchasing an additional 19,883 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.