Unilever (NYSE:UL) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group raised Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.50.

Unilever Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of UL stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.55. The stock had a trading volume of 2,025,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,526,227. The business's fifty day moving average is $60.85 and its 200-day moving average is $58.85. The firm has a market cap of $154.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. Unilever has a 1-year low of $53.50 and a 1-year high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.5151 dividend. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Unilever's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Unilever by 77.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,199 shares of the company's stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Unilever by 3.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 346,321 shares of the company's stock worth $22,427,000 after purchasing an additional 10,268 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Unilever by 104.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 292,225 shares of the company's stock worth $18,983,000 after purchasing an additional 149,111 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in Unilever by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,359 shares of the company's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 216.2% during the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 10,215 shares of the company's stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 6,984 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.