Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Receives $66.33 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $66.33.

UL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Unilever from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter worth approximately $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock worth $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 155.2% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 5,117 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Argent Trust Co boosted its stake in Unilever by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock worth $2,573,000 after purchasing an additional 11,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Shares of UL traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $62.85. 450,189 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,557,230. The stock has a market cap of $154.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.42. Unilever has a 1-year low of $51.45 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.92 and a 200-day moving average of $58.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. 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 3.28%. This is an increase from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

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.