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

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $61.75.

Several brokerages have weighed in on UL. StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $57.19 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.31. The company has a market capitalization of $141.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.48. Unilever has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month 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 paid a dividend of $0.4755 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s payout ratio is presently 56.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at $225,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.6% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,123,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,427,000 after purchasing an additional 10,268 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 23,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,000 after purchasing an additional 3,349 shares during the period. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 39,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,543,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently 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.