Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives $48.00 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $48.00.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UL. StockNews.com raised Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley cut Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 672,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,239,000 after purchasing an additional 227,681 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 47,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. St. James Investment Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. St. James Investment Company LLC now owns 733,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,216,000 after purchasing an additional 74,539 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 131,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,496,000 after purchasing an additional 14,404 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 394,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,505,000 after purchasing an additional 6,341 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL opened at $50.19 on Friday. Unilever has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.43 and a 200-day moving average of $48.76.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.4582 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%.

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.