StockNews.com Upgrades Unilever (NYSE:UL) to Buy

Unilever (NYSE:UL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

UL has been the subject of several other reports. Bank of America raised shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Unilever from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 7th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Unilever to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Three investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.75.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock opened at $62.91 on Friday. Unilever has a 1-year low of $46.16 and a 1-year high of $65.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.67.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Unilever by 2.9% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 38,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,531,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Unilever by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 8,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 2,194 shares during the period. Prio Wealth Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,030,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the second quarter worth $5,417,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in Unilever by 598.7% in the second 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 in the last quarter. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.