Unilever (NYSE:UL) Upgraded at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever (NYSE:UL) to a strong sell rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on UL. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Unilever from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Unilever from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Unilever from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Unilever Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of UL stock opened at $61.63 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $56.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.20. Unilever has a 52 week low of $46.16 and a 52 week high of $61.80.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.4773 per share. This represents a $1.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is a positive change from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,415,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,131,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter valued at about $863,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at about $867,000. Finally, Levin Capital Strategies L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 35.7% during the fourth quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 428,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,762,000 after acquiring an additional 112,677 shares in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.