Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from “sell” to “hold,” though other analysts remain cautious: Zacks Research lowered its rating to “strong sell,” and the consensus rating is “Reduce.”
• Universal shares opened at $45.53, down 1%, and remain near their 52-week low. The company recently reported a quarterly loss of $0.18 per share and revenue of $523.78 million, both below analyst expectations.
• Institutional investors own approximately 81% of Universal’s stock, with several firms increasing their positions, while director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares worth about $88,779.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research cut Universal from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Universal Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of UVV opened at $45.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 0.58. Universal has a 1 year low of $43.36 and a 1 year high of $59.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $49.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.91.

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

Insider Transactions at Universal

In other Universal news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vestcor Inc grew its position in Universal by 282.7% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 33,264 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,755,000 after acquiring an additional 24,571 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Universal in the first quarter valued at about $4,220,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Universal by 35.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company's stock worth $18,638,000 after purchasing an additional 92,617 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter valued at about $585,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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