Vestcor Inc Increases Stake in Universal Corporation $UVV

Vestcor Inc raised its position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 282.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,264 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,571 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc owned 0.13% of Universal worth $1,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UVV. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,402,000 after acquiring an additional 35,513 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Universal by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,378,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,272,000 after acquiring an additional 21,763 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Universal by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 815,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,579,000 after purchasing an additional 142,439 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 624,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,943,000 after purchasing an additional 5,844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 917.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 578,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,324,000 after purchasing an additional 521,724 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q3 2027 EPS estimate for Universal Corporation, suggesting improved expectations for that period. Universal Corporation analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square is reportedly set to make about $600 million on its Universal stake, which is drawing investor attention to the stock, though the news is more about ownership gains than operating performance. WSJ article
• Neutral Sentiment: Universal was also the subject of additional analyst estimate changes from Sidoti, with some quarterly forecasts revised up and others revised down, making the overall message mixed. Universal Corporation estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti cut Universal’s FY2027 and FY2028 EPS estimates, along with several quarterly estimates, which can pressure sentiment by implying slower earnings growth ahead. Universal Corporation estimate cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Universal from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding a bearish note that may weigh on the stock. Zacks downgrade

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on UVV. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Down 0.1%

Universal stock opened at $53.72 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 3.49. Universal Corporation has a one year low of $49.19 and a one year high of $61.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $53.29 and a 200 day moving average of $53.50.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($1.54). Universal had a return on equity of 4.43% and a net margin of 1.12%.The firm had revenue of $715.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $728.20 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This is a positive change from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Universal’s payout ratio is 254.26%.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.