Unilever (NYSE:UL) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on UL. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group upgraded Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $57.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.31. Unilever has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is a boost from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,114,177 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,384,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,132,640 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,416,000 after purchasing an additional 668,913 shares in the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 22,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 2,667,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.