Northern Trust Corp Acquires 39,582 Shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE - Free Report) by 17.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 266,482 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,582 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.94% of Universal Insurance worth $5,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal Insurance by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 234,995 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,949,000 after purchasing an additional 25,423 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Universal Insurance during the 4th quarter worth $121,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance in the 4th quarter valued at $433,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Universal Insurance by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,496,224 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $31,510,000 after buying an additional 6,250 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance during the fourth quarter worth $309,000. Institutional investors own 66.61% of the company's stock.

Universal Insurance Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE UVE traded down $0.09 during trading on Monday, reaching $26.28. 137,575 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 186,662. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.50 and a fifty-two week high of $26.85. The firm has a market cap of $739.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $23.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.98.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.32. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 4.82%. The firm had revenue of $394.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $354.97 million. Analysts predict that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Universal Insurance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Universal Insurance's payout ratio is 27.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal Insurance from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total transaction of $441,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 990,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,863,616. This trade represents a 1.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 26,393 shares of Universal Insurance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.61, for a total value of $675,924.73. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 331,835 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,498,294.35. This represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 86,393 shares of company stock worth $2,085,925. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

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.