Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives $70.67 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.67.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UL. UBS Group raised Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. BNP Paribas raised Unilever to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Unilever in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,940,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,253,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,563 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Unilever by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,906,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,317,000 after purchasing an additional 257,538 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Unilever by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,103,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,345,000 after buying an additional 250,053 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,925,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,787,000 after acquiring an additional 95,359 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL stock opened at $62.10 on Monday. Unilever has a 52-week low of $54.32 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $152.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.95 and its 200-day moving average is $59.51.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.03%.

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.