Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.55.

UL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Unilever Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE UL opened at $62.47 on Wednesday. Unilever has a 12 month low of $54.75 and a 12 month high of $74.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.94.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($1.25). The business had revenue of $14.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.80 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Unilever will post 3.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UL. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 533,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,046,000 after purchasing an additional 93,161 shares in the last quarter. Saturna Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 38.0% in the first quarter. Saturna Capital Corp now owns 794,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,252,000 after acquiring an additional 218,767 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 77.6% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,226,000 after acquiring an additional 17,093 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,661,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,501,000 after acquiring an additional 937,346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Unilever by 674.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,794,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,208,000 after purchasing an additional 2,433,625 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

About Unilever

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company that develops, markets and sells products across beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care and foods. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Axe, TRESemmé, Sunsilk, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Cif, Domestos and OMO or Persil, depending on the market.

The company serves consumers in markets around the world, with products distributed through retail stores, e-commerce platforms and other channels. Its offerings include skin and hair care, deodorants, oral care, household cleaning products, dressings, condiments, soups and cooking products.

Unilever was created in 1929 through the combination of Margarine Unie, a Dutch margarine producer, and Lever Brothers, a British soap maker.