Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.55.

UL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 108.8% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE UL opened at $73.70 on Friday. Unilever has a 1-year low of $61.78 and a 1-year high of $74.97. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.26 and a 200-day moving average of $68.31.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Unilever will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.5547 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%.

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.