Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Up 29.0% in February

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,780,000 shares, a growth of 29.0% from the January 31st total of 1,380,000 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,580,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days.

Unilever Price Performance

Unilever stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $58.28. 897,267 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,524,730. Unilever has a fifty-two week low of $46.46 and a fifty-two week high of $65.87. The stock has a market cap of $144.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.86.

Unilever Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.4674 per share. This represents a $1.87 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Unilever’s payout ratio is 53.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UL. DZ Bank raised shares of Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut shares of Unilever from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Unilever from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Unilever has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Unilever in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 9.67% of the stock is 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.