Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Passes Below 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $52.44 and traded as low as $45.19. Universal shares last traded at $45.6730, with a volume of 274,770 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.49, a P/E/G ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $50.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.35.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. On average, analysts predict that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 431.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares of Universal stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 282.7% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 33,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,755,000 after buying an additional 24,571 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Universal during the 1st quarter worth about $4,220,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Universal by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,638,000 after purchasing an additional 92,617 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the 1st quarter valued at about $585,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,402,000 after purchasing an additional 35,513 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

About Universal

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.