Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemUniversal Corporation (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $53.28 and traded as high as $53.93. Universal shares last traded at $53.5980, with a volume of 173,203 shares traded.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently commented on UVV shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Universal
Universal Stock Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.28. The stock has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.61.
Universal (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.92 by ($0.57). The business had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.20 million. Universal had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 2.93%. On average, analysts forecast that Universal Corporation will post 4.17 earnings per share for the current year.
Universal Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.76%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UVV. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new position in Universal in the third quarter worth $1,351,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 306.2% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 84,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,725,000 after purchasing an additional 63,749 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 917.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 578,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,324,000 after purchasing an additional 521,724 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 31.8% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 111,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,206,000 after buying an additional 26,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Universal by 130.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 24,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,267,000 after buying an additional 13,608 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.
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.