StockNews.com Downgrades Unilever (NYSE:UL) to Hold

Unilever (NYSE:UL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

UL has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Unilever in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Unilever currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $57.39 on Tuesday. Unilever has a twelve month low of $46.46 and a twelve month high of $65.87. The firm has a market cap of $142.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.33.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fiera Capital Corp boosted its stake in Unilever by 1,866.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 2,135,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,221 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 981.6% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,076,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884,216 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in Unilever by 249.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Unilever by 598.7% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,301,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,555,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,992 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Unilever by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,726,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,086,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114,177 shares during the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.