Brokerages Set Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Price Target at $65.55

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.55.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. DZ Bank cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on shares of Unilever and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Unilever from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UL. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $268,704,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Unilever by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,665,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,973,000 after purchasing an additional 2,935,227 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Unilever in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $144,979,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Unilever by 13,906.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,268,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252,105 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Unilever by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,578,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,319,966,000 after buying an additional 1,989,631 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Up 1.1%

UL stock opened at $74.05 on Friday. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $61.78 and a fifty-two week high of $74.97. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $67.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.17.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.39 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Unilever will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

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

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.