Unilever (NYSE:UL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Unilever (NYSE:UL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Separately, Morgan Stanley cut Unilever from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Unilever Stock Performance

UL stock opened at $51.87 on Wednesday. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $46.16 and a fifty-two week high of $55.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Unilever by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,494,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,672,275,000 after buying an additional 1,114,417 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,843,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,716,000 after acquiring an additional 965,173 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Unilever by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 8,548,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $422,293,000 after acquiring an additional 515,088 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Unilever by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,548,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,459,000 after purchasing an additional 329,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 35.3% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,748,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

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.