Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.55

Unilever PLC (NYSE:UL) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of 0.5547 per share on Friday, April 10th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th.

Unilever has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years. Unilever has a payout ratio of 65.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Unilever to earn $3.49 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.34 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 67.0%.

Unilever Stock Performance

Unilever stock traded up $1.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $74.65. The stock had a trading volume of 7,033,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,482,575. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $66.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.85. Unilever has a 52 week low of $61.11 and a 52 week high of $74.98.

Unilever (NYSE:UL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by ($1.00). The firm had revenue of $11.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.39 billion. Research analysts expect that Unilever will post 3.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on UL. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Unilever from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Unilever in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.10 price target on Unilever and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Unilever from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane set a $71.00 target price on shares of Unilever and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.55.

Unilever Company Profile

Unilever PLC is a global consumer goods company with roots dating back to the early 20th century, formed from the merger of the British firm Lever Brothers and the Dutch company Margarine Unie. The company develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of branded products in personal care, home care and foods and refreshments. Unilever’s corporate structure and listings reflect its long history in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and it operates at scale across diverse consumer markets worldwide.

Unilever’s business is organized around major product categories—Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care and Foods & Refreshment—and includes numerous well-known consumer brands across those categories.