Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $48.00.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UL. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UL. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 51.1% during 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 last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 3,332,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,582,000 after purchasing an additional 47,256 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3,718.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 171,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,321,000 after purchasing an additional 167,146 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 3.4% during 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 last quarter. Finally, St. James Investment Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 11.3% during 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 last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $46.48 on Wednesday. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $55.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.57.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.4582 dividend. This represents a $1.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd.

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.