Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.52

Key Points

• Unilever PLC has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52, representing a 0.5% increase from the previous dividend and yields 3.4% annually.
• The equity has seen a trading increase of 3.5%, reaching $60.46, with substantial trading volume exceeding average levels.
• Unilever's payout ratio stands at 57.9%, indicating that dividends are well-covered by earnings, with expected earnings of $3.49 per share next year.

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, August 1st, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of 0.5175 per share on Friday, September 12th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a 0.5% increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52.

Unilever has a payout ratio of 57.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Unilever to earn $3.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 59.6%.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE:UL traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,005,909 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,537,065. The company has a market capitalization of $147.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.38. Unilever has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $61.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UL shares. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.50.

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.