Unilever (NYSE:UL) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $59.23, but opened at $60.63. Unilever shares last traded at $60.94, with a volume of 801,331 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Unilever Trading Up 2.5 %

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $0.4674 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.01%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UL. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Unilever by 155.2% during the fourth quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 8,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 655,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,193,000 after purchasing an additional 9,528 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $11,694,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Unilever by 236.2% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

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.