StockNews.com Lowers Unilever (NYSE:UL) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Argus boosted their target price on Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Unilever from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $54.00.

Unilever Stock Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $54.99 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $54.04 and a 200 day moving average of $50.67. Unilever has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $56.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 9,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 6,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 21,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 29.9% during the fourth quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.0% during the third quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

About Unilever

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.