Universal (NYSE:UVV) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on UVV. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Universal from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $46.30 on Tuesday. Universal has a 1 year low of $43.36 and a 1 year high of $59.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.01.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted 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). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.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 fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Universal

In related news, Director Lennart R. 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 transaction of $88,779.24. Following the transaction, the director 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the second quarter valued at about $219,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 23,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,236,000 after buying an additional 3,610 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 30.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Universal by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 23,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Universal by 21.2% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 65,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,473,000 after buying an additional 11,517 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.