Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Update

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,780,000 shares, a growth of 29.0% from the January 31st total of 1,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,580,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UL. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its position in Unilever by 8.7% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Unilever by 9.0% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 130,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,494,000 after purchasing an additional 10,759 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Unilever by 7.0% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in Unilever by 234.8% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 242,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,726,000 after purchasing an additional 169,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opes Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Unilever in the third quarter worth $211,000. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.99. The company had a trading volume of 3,161,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,528,856. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $56.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.87. Unilever has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $143.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.4674 dividend. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

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.