Research Analysts Set Expectations for Universal Q3 Earnings

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Equities research analysts at Sidoti Csr reduced their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Universal in a research report issued on Monday, November 10th. Sidoti Csr analyst D. Harriman now anticipates that the company will earn $1.92 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.94.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV opened at $53.79 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.09, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.12. Universal has a 12-month low of $49.40 and a 12-month high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $754.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $704.30 million. Universal had a net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 8.46%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the first quarter worth about $202,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 122,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,890,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in Universal by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Universal by 222.6% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,052,000 after acquiring an additional 62,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the first quarter valued at approximately $281,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Universal

In other Universal news, COO Airton L. Hentschke sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 135,129 shares in the company, valued at $7,423,987.26. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $245,855.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $835,918.50. The trade was a 22.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 73.87%.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Tobacco Operations; and Ingredients Operations. It is involved in the procuring, financing, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products.