Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives $61.75 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

UL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Unilever by 7.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake 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 valued at $241,145,000 after purchasing an additional 911,443 shares during the last quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management grew its position 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 buying an additional 22,325 shares during the period. Hamlin Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $173,273,000 after buying an additional 194,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,027,221 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of UL opened at $59.84 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $148.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.49. Unilever has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.81.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.46%.

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.