Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,010,000 shares, an increase of 55.2% from the November 30th total of 1,940,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,090,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,547,000 after buying an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,145,000 after acquiring an additional 911,443 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 2,767,207 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,169,000 after purchasing an additional 22,325 shares in the last quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Unilever by 7.9% during the third quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,273,000 after purchasing an additional 194,165 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 1,866.0% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,221 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UL. StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Down 1.2 %

UL stock traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $56.76. 2,063,720 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,572,161. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.35. Unilever has a 52 week low of $46.46 and a 52 week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.4755 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.63%.

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.