Universal (NYSE:UVV) Rating Increased to Hold at Zacks Research
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemZacks Research upgraded shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV – Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.
UVV has been the topic of several other reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on UVV
Universal Stock Down 1.6%
Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $52.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.91. Universal has a 1 year low of $49.96 and a 1 year high of $67.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $53.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.44.
Universal (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by ($0.57). Universal had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 2.93%.The business had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $927.20 million.
Universal Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.76%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,402,000 after purchasing an additional 35,513 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,378,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,272,000 after purchasing an additional 21,763 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Universal by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 853,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,034,000 after purchasing an additional 37,921 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Universal by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 624,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,943,000 after purchasing an additional 5,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Universal by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 610,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,205,000 after buying an additional 31,961 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.