Universal (NYSE:UVV) Hits New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as $38.09 and last traded at $37.96, with a volume of 46,069 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.41.

Key Stories Impacting Universal

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $0.04 from a forecast of a $0.02 loss. It also increased its estimates for Q2 and Q4 2027 and Q2 2028, providing some quarter-specific offsets to the broader cuts. Universal Corporation analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate to $3.09 from $3.18 and its FY2028 forecast to $3.51 from $3.95. It also cut projected EPS for Q3 2028 to $1.66 from $1.87 and Q4 2028 to $0.83 from $1.16, signaling weaker earnings expectations in several periods. Universal Corporation analyst coverage

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UVV. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Trading Down 0.4%

The stock has a market capitalization of $961.43 million, a P/E ratio of 35.19, a PEG ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $42.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Investors of record on Monday, January 11th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.6%. Universal’s payout ratio is presently -3,688.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.