Universal (NYSE:UVV) Rating Lowered to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

UVV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Up 0.4%

Universal stock opened at $46.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.58. Universal has a 52 week low of $43.36 and a 52 week high of $59.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $49.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Insider Activity at Universal

In other news, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Universal by 75.2% during 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. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal by 67.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its position in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% in 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 purchased a new position in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 265.0% in 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 in 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 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.