Weiss Ratings Reaffirms Buy (B) Rating for Unilever (NYSE:UL)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed its "buy (b)" rating for Unilever (NYSE:UL) amidst varied ratings from other brokerages, including a recent upgrade to "strong-buy" by Zacks Research.
• Unilever's stock is currently trading at approximately $58.69 with a market cap of $143.99 billion, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.
• Notable institutional investment activity includes significant position increases from firms like Bank of New York Mellon, which boosted its holdings by 33.2% in the first quarter.

Unilever (NYSE:UL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b)" rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report released on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on UL. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Thursday, August 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Unilever Price Performance

UL traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $58.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,222,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,472,008. The company has a market cap of $143.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average of $61.43 and a 200-day moving average of $61.60. Unilever has a 1-year low of $54.32 and a 1-year high of $65.66.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 934,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,668,000 after purchasing an additional 232,945 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of 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. Stonegate Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 69.7% during the 1st quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 14,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 5,867 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 65.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 232,096 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,821,000 after purchasing an additional 91,511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 70.6% during the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 15,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $895,000 after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares in 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.

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