Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Update

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,030,000 shares, a decline of 18.8% from the September 30th total of 2,500,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Unilever presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of UL. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $863,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the first quarter valued at approximately $684,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,141,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,312,000 after acquiring an additional 214,635 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Unilever by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 192,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,679,000 after purchasing an additional 27,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Unilever by 3.6% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 466,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,402,000 after acquiring an additional 16,280 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Unilever Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:UL opened at $61.69 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $63.80 and a 200-day moving average of $58.27. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.16 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.48.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Unilever’s payout ratio is currently 55.62%.

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.