Zacks Research Upgrades Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) to “Strong-Buy”

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Universal Insurance from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Universal Insurance from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal Insurance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Universal Insurance Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Universal Insurance stock opened at $48.98 on Thursday. Universal Insurance has a 1 year low of $28.32 and a 1 year high of $50.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $44.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.36. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 39.04% and a net margin of 13.94%. The business had revenue of $444.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $601.67 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Universal Insurance will post 6.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Universal Insurance

In related news, Chairman Sean Downes sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.98, for a total transaction of $879,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 1,084,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,702,687.10. This represents a 1.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 15.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Insurance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Insurance by 83.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 599 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Universal Insurance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 4,847.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance in the first quarter valued at about $95,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 170,750.0% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,417 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 3,415 shares during the last quarter. 66.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Universal Insurance

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal Insurance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Significant earnings beat: UVE reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.93 per share, up from $1.36 a year earlier and above analyst estimates. Zacks attributed the 41.9% earnings increase to stronger underwriting results, higher earned premiums and increased investment income. UVE Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Lower Losses & Premium Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Improved underwriting and growth: Management highlighted lower losses, premium growth and an 8% increase in policies in force. The company said it remains focused on organic growth, supporting expectations for continued expansion in its insurance portfolio. Universal signals organic growth focus
• Positive Sentiment: Catastrophe exposure viewed as manageable: Universal characterized the impact from Hurricane Isaias as manageable, reducing concern that catastrophe losses would materially weaken quarterly results or near-term profitability. Universal Insurance Q3 2026 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-screening support: UVE was added to multiple Zacks Rank #1 lists covering momentum, value, income and overall “Strong Buy” stocks. These designations may improve investor attention, but they are not changes to company guidance or analyst price targets. Best Momentum Stock to Buy

About Universal Insurance

Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc (NYSE: UVE) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance through its subsidiaries. Its primary business is personal residential insurance, with products designed to protect homeowners and other residential property owners against risks such as wind, fire, theft and other covered losses.

The company’s offerings include homeowners, condominium unit owners, renters and dwelling fire insurance, along with related residential property coverage.