Universal (NYSE:UVV) Share Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $53.63 and traded as low as $52.50. Universal shares last traded at $53.1350, with a volume of 146,835 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on UVV shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.61.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by ($0.57). The company had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $927.20 million. Universal had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 6.49%.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Universal’s payout ratio is 96.76%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Universal by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 265.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Universal in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.