Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Crosses Below 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)’s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $51.56 and traded as low as $45.06. Universal shares last traded at $45.10, with a volume of 351,928 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 57.94, a PEG ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $48.73 and its 200-day moving average is $51.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 431.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In related news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the company’s 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 $843,701.70. This represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UVV. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Universal by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,638,000 after acquiring an additional 92,617 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 0.6% during the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 329,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 2.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 121,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,382,000 after purchasing an additional 2,369 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 119,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 102,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,416,000 after buying an additional 18,106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agricultural company that supplies processed tobacco leaf and related products to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, heated tobacco products and other tobacco products. The company purchases tobacco from growers, provides agronomic and technical support, and processes, blends, packs and stores leaf tobacco to meet customers’ specifications.

Through its Universal Leaf Tobacco subsidiaries and affiliated operations, Universal serves tobacco markets across multiple regions, including North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.