Universal (NYSE:UVV) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Universal presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Universal Trading Down 0.2%

UVV stock opened at $44.82 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $51.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.95. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.60. Universal has a one year low of $44.47 and a one year high of $59.38.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.43). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The company had revenue of $523.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Universal will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 431.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,959 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Universal by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,402,000 after purchasing an additional 35,513 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Universal by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,378,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,272,000 after acquiring an additional 21,763 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Universal by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 853,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,034,000 after acquiring an additional 37,921 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 624,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,943,000 after acquiring an additional 5,844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 610,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,205,000 after purchasing an additional 31,961 shares during the period. 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.