Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL – Get Rating) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,200,000 shares, a decrease of 14.0% from the August 31st total of 3,720,000 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on UL shares. DZ Bank lowered Unilever from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 27th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Unilever from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 26th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Friday, September 16th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Unilever in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "equal weight" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Unilever

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Unilever by 16.0% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,225,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $784,961,000 after purchasing an additional 2,378,067 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in Unilever by 10.7% during the second quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,687,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $352,322,000 after purchasing an additional 744,885 shares in the last quarter. Pendal Group Ltd boosted its position in Unilever by 1.8% during the second quarter. Pendal Group Ltd now owns 5,652,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,035,000 after purchasing an additional 99,566 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Unilever by 15.3% during the second quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,455,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,024,000 after purchasing an additional 724,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted its position in Unilever by 0.6% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,042,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,988,000 after purchasing an additional 28,870 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.68% of the company's stock.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.4555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 4th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.12%. This is a positive change from Unilever's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45.

About Unilever

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Unilever PLC operates as a fast-moving consumer goods company. It operates through Beauty & Personal Care, Foods & Refreshment, and Home Care segments. The Beauty & Personal Care segment provides skin care and hair care products, deodorants, and skin cleansing products. The Foods & Refreshment segment offers ice cream, soups, bouillons, seasonings, mayonnaise, ketchups, and tea categories.

Further Reading

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