Unilever (NYSE:UL) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

UL has been the subject of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 price target on Unilever and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. DZ Bank downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Unilever stock opened at $69.05 on Monday. Unilever has a 1 year low of $61.78 and a 1 year high of $74.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.32.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.39 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unilever will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.5547 dividend. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 0.6% during the third quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 28,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,683,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 997 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 9,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 40,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,376,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Unilever Company Profile

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.