Short Interest in Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Increases By 18.5%

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, an increase of 18.5% from the February 13th total of 1,780,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Unilever Price Performance

NYSE UL opened at $58.70 on Wednesday. Unilever has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $65.87. The company has a market capitalization of $145.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $57.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.58.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Unilever in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.