Unilever (NYSE:UL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UL. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $55.52 on Tuesday. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.13.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,017,253,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214,563 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,317,000 after buying an additional 257,538 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Unilever by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,345,000 after purchasing an additional 250,053 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,830,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,191,000 after buying an additional 327,329 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Unilever by 140.1% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares during the period. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.