Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Gets Downgrade from Zacks Research

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

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Universal Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:UVV opened at $37.92 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $41.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.54. The company has a market capitalization of $945.45 million, a PE ratio of -421.33, a PEG ratio of 12.49 and a beta of 0.61. Universal has a 52 week low of $37.38 and a 52 week high of $59.38.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $630.10 million. Universal had a negative net margin of 0.09% and a positive return on equity of 1.88%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Universal will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UVV. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 365,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,638,000 after purchasing an additional 92,617 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 44.6% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 188,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,860,000 after buying an additional 58,022 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 65.0% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 165,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,916,000 after buying an additional 65,178 shares during the period. Finally, Adams Asset Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 0.8% during the third quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC now owns 134,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,640,000 after buying an additional 1,080 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal News Roundup

Here’s some of the latest news about UVV:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its estimates for Q1 2028 EPS from a loss of $0.02 to earnings of $0.04, Q2 2028 EPS from $0.94 to $0.98, and Q4 2027 EPS from $1.05 to $1.15. Universal Corporation analyst estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast from $3.18 to $3.09 and FY2028 EPS from $3.95 to $3.51. It also reduced its Q3 2028 estimate from $1.87 to $1.66 and Q4 2028 estimate from $1.16 to $0.83, suggesting weaker earnings expectations overall. Universal Corporation analyst estimates

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation is a global agricultural products and services company best known for sourcing, processing and supplying leaf tobacco to manufacturers. Its services include managing tobacco supply chains, from crop purchasing and processing to logistics and related support for customers. The company also operates an Ingredients Operations business, which supplies products such as dehydrated fruits and vegetables, flavors, extracts and other plant-based ingredients for food and beverage customers.