Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Rating Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Tuesday,Zacks reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Universal Trading Down 1.7%

UVV stock opened at $37.92 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal has a twelve month low of $37.38 and a twelve month high of $59.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $945.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -421.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.75.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.19). Universal had a negative net margin of 0.09% and a positive return on equity of 1.88%. The firm had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $630.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.36 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Universal will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 11th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.8%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,688.89%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UVV. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Universal in the 1st quarter worth about $4,220,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Universal by 44.6% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 188,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,860,000 after buying an additional 58,022 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Universal by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,638,000 after buying an additional 92,617 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Universal by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 28,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after buying an additional 12,288 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Universal in the 1st quarter valued at about $508,000. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal News Roundup

Here’s some of the latest news about UVV:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its estimates for Q1 2028 EPS from a loss of $0.02 to earnings of $0.04, Q2 2028 EPS from $0.94 to $0.98, and Q4 2027 EPS from $1.05 to $1.15. Universal Corporation analyst estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast from $3.18 to $3.09 and FY2028 EPS from $3.95 to $3.51. It also reduced its Q3 2028 estimate from $1.87 to $1.66 and Q4 2028 estimate from $1.16 to $0.83, suggesting weaker earnings expectations overall. Universal Corporation analyst estimates

About Universal

Universal Corporation is a global agricultural products and services company best known for sourcing, processing and supplying leaf tobacco to manufacturers. Its services include managing tobacco supply chains, from crop purchasing and processing to logistics and related support for customers. The company also operates an Ingredients Operations business, which supplies products such as dehydrated fruits and vegetables, flavors, extracts and other plant-based ingredients for food and beverage customers.