StockNews.com Upgrades Unilever (NYSE:UL) to Buy

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Monday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on UL. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of UL traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $63.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,938,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,573,789. The stock has a market cap of $155.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever has a 52 week low of $51.34 and a 52 week high of $65.87. The company's fifty day moving average price is $59.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.80.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,806,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,719,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,883,000 after acquiring an additional 2,170,242 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,454,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,881,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 7.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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