Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Passes Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)’s share price passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $54.84 and traded as low as $52.93. Universal shares last traded at $53.24, with a volume of 84,478 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal presently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Universal Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.84.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.18. Universal had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 3.74%.The business had revenue of $754.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $704.30 million.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Universal during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Universal by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 14,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $825,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Universal during the third quarter valued at approximately $709,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Universal by 5.3% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 19,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.