Unilever (NYSE:UL) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.75.

Unilever Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE UL opened at $56.02 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.98. Unilever has a 1 year low of $46.46 and a 1 year high of $65.87.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter valued at $11,908,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 55.9% during the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 6,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 2,325 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 16.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,180,000 after acquiring an additional 15,941 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 3.0% during the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 11,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trajan Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Unilever by 15.5% during the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 60,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,934,000 after acquiring an additional 8,137 shares during 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.