Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Update

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,700,000 shares, an increase of 16.9% from the April 30th total of 2,310,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UL. May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $296,000. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 9,528 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Unilever by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 45,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,573,000 after acquiring an additional 11,555 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 43,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,452,000 after acquiring an additional 6,404 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UL shares. UBS Group raised shares of Unilever from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Unilever in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Unilever to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.67.

Unilever Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of UL traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.03. 1,661,225 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,491,595. The stock has a market cap of $154.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.26. Unilever has a twelve month low of $54.32 and a twelve month high of $65.87.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.5151 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. This is a boost from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Unilever's payout ratio is presently 59.03%.

Unilever Company Profile

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.