Unilever (NYSE:UL) Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Separately, Morgan Stanley cut Unilever from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $48.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $48.00.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock opened at $47.98 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $49.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.52. Unilever has a twelve month low of $46.16 and a twelve month high of $55.99.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.4582 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Unilever by 111.5% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Unilever during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 215.1% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.