Universal (NYSE:UVV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of UVV stock opened at $45.53 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $49.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.84. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $43.36 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 0.58.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced 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 net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. The firm had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.00 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.3%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 431.17%.

Insider Transactions at Universal

In other news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UVV. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Universal by 180.5% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,517,000 after purchasing an additional 281,920 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,575.1% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 279,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,591,000 after acquiring an additional 262,399 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Universal by 98.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,500,000 after acquiring an additional 155,244 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Universal by 21.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 815,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,579,000 after purchasing an additional 142,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth approximately $6,131,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Universal

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.