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

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $41.10 and last traded at $40.9610, with a volume of 85,506 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $41.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UVV shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Down 0.8%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.27 and a 200 day moving average of $49.92. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.79 and a beta of 0.58.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s payout ratio is 431.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 92,617 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Universal in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,220,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,116,000 after purchasing an additional 16,141 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 28,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 12,288 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Universal by 21.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 65,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,473,000 after purchasing an additional 11,517 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global leaf tobacco supplier and processor. Through its operating companies, the company purchases tobacco from growers, processes and blends leaf, and supplies tobacco products and related materials to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products. Its services include crop contracting, agricultural support, curing, processing, storage, packaging and logistics.

Founded in 1918 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Universal has developed an international network of tobacco sourcing, processing and distribution operations.