Sidoti Has Positive Forecast for Universal Q1 Earnings

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Analysts at Sidoti raised their Q1 2028 earnings estimates for shares of Universal in a report issued on Monday, November 9th. Sidoti analyst D. Harriman now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.04 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($0.02). The consensus estimate for Universal’s current full-year earnings is $3.09 per share. Sidoti also issued estimates for Universal’s Q4 2028 earnings at $0.83 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.51 EPS.

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

Universal Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE UVV opened at $38.56 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.54 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.83. Universal has a 12 month low of $37.38 and a 12 month high of $59.38. The company 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.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced 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 business had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $630.10 million. Universal had a positive return on equity of 1.88% and a negative net margin of 0.09%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS.

Universal Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Universal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Universal by 32.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 16.8% in the third quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC now owns 6,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new position in shares of Universal in the third quarter worth approximately $231,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Universal by 2.3% in the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 65.0% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 165,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 65,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines 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

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.