Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE) Shares Sold by ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC

ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE - Free Report) by 26.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 285,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 105,000 shares during the period. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC owned about 1.01% of Universal Insurance worth $6,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 4th quarter worth $103,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 45,981.8% in the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 5,069 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 5,058 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 13,804 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. 66.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total value of $441,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 990,200 shares in the company, valued at $21,863,616. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 26,393 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.61, for a total transaction of $675,924.73. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 331,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,498,294.35. The trade was a 7.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 66,393 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,125. Company insiders own 17.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Universal Insurance from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Universal Insurance Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of UVE stock traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $26.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 229,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 181,307. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $16.50 and a 12-month high of $26.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $735.71 million, a PE ratio of 10.63 and a beta of 0.83.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $394.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.97 million. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 4.82%. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Insurance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Universal Insurance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.95%.

Universal Insurance Profile

Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated insurance holding company in the United States. It develops, markets, and underwrites insurance products for personal residential insurance, such as homeowners, renters/tenants, condo unit owners, and dwelling/fire; and offers allied lines, coverage for other structures, and personal property, liability, and personal articles coverages.