Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, five have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $69.50.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL opened at $63.50 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.91. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $53.50 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.5151 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is 59.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Unilever by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,100,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,673,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,421,054 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $176,806,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter valued at $153,606,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 140.1% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 66.4% in 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 during the last quarter. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.