Unilever (NYSE:UL) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

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

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

Unilever Trading Up 0.0 %

UL stock opened at $51.87 on Wednesday. Unilever has a 1 year low of $46.16 and a 1 year high of $55.77. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.64.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.4556 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $1.82 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new stake in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Unilever by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Unilever during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 215.1% during 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 during the period. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.