Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) Short Interest Up 74.2% in August

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,148,912 shares, an increase of 74.2% from the August 15th total of 2,381,838 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,104,729 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Unilever

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UL. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Unilever during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Unilever in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unilever in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Unilever from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Monday, July 6th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Unilever in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Unilever from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.55.

Unilever Stock Down 0.0%

Unilever stock traded down $0.02 on Wednesday, reaching $62.42. 2,307,290 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,163,162. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.94. Unilever has a twelve month low of $54.75 and a twelve month high of $74.97.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($1.25). The business had revenue of $14.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.80 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Unilever will post 3.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company that develops, markets and sells products across beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care and foods. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Axe, TRESemmé, Sunsilk, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Cif, Domestos and OMO or Persil, depending on the market.

The company serves consumers in markets around the world, with products distributed through retail stores, e-commerce platforms and other channels. Its offerings include skin and hair care, deodorants, oral care, household cleaning products, dressings, condiments, soups and cooking products.

Unilever was created in 1929 through the combination of Margarine Unie, a Dutch margarine producer, and Lever Brothers, a British soap maker.