Universal (NYSE:UVV) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as $41.90 and last traded at $41.90, with a volume of 59686 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $42.47.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UVV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.41 and a 200 day moving average of $50.94. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.34, a P/E/G ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued 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 return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The business had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.00 million. On average, analysts expect that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, October 12th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 431.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Universal by 35.5% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,638,000 after acquiring an additional 92,617 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Universal by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 329,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Universal by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 121,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,382,000 after purchasing an additional 2,369 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 102,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,416,000 after purchasing an additional 18,106 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,220,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agricultural company that supplies processed tobacco leaf and related products to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, heated tobacco products and other tobacco products. The company purchases tobacco from growers, provides agronomic and technical support, and processes, blends, packs and stores leaf tobacco to meet customers’ specifications.

Through its Universal Leaf Tobacco subsidiaries and affiliated operations, Universal serves tobacco markets across multiple regions, including North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.