Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Update

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,940,000 shares, a drop of 18.5% from the November 15th total of 2,380,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,940,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Institutional Trading of Unilever

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Unilever by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,180,000 after purchasing an additional 15,941 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the third quarter worth approximately $11,694,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Unilever by 249.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,748,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248,136 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Unilever by 236.2% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 30,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,997,000 after acquiring an additional 21,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Unilever in the third quarter worth $1,388,000. 9.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on UL. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Unilever from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $47.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.75.

Unilever Price Performance

Shares of UL stock traded up $0.45 on Monday, hitting $59.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,580,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,569,048. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.48. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $60.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.19.

Unilever Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.4755 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from Unilever’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Unilever’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.63%.

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.