Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Drops By 21.4%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,620,000 shares, a decrease of 21.4% from the March 31st total of 2,060,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,850,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered Unilever from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Unilever Stock Up 0.6 %

UL traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $51.24. The stock had a trading volume of 4,278,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,049,528. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $49.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.56. Unilever has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Barrett & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 606 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 9,066 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 9,963 shares of the company's stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 6,133 shares of the company's stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 21,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.