Universal (NYSE:UVV) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Universal currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE UVV opened at $45.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.13, a PEG ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.91. Universal has a 12 month low of $43.36 and a 12 month high of $59.38.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its 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). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The firm had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. On average, analysts predict that Universal will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 431.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of Universal stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $843,701.70. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Universal by 5.1% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. increased its position in Universal by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 8,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Universal by 67.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

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.