Universal (NYSE:UVV) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

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

UVV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Up 0.4%

UVV opened at $46.30 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $49.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.01. 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 $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 60.13, a P/E/G ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.58. Universal has a 52 week low of $43.36 and a 52 week high of $59.38.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued 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 7.2%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 431.17%.

Insider Activity at Universal

In other news, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $843,701.70. This represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 8,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Universal by 67.1% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Universal by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.