Universal (NYSE:UVV) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also commented on UVV. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Universal currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE UVV opened at $44.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.60. Universal has a fifty-two week low of $44.47 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 2.57.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $523.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.00 million. On average, analysts forecast that Universal will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of Universal stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in Universal by 282.7% in the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 33,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,755,000 after acquiring an additional 24,571 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Universal during the 1st quarter valued at $4,220,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 92,617 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Universal in the 1st quarter worth $585,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,402,000 after purchasing an additional 35,513 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Company Profile

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.