Universal Corporation $UVV Shares Bought by ProShare Advisors LLC

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors increased its Universal stake by 44.6% in the third quarter, adding 58,022 shares to hold 188,081 shares, worth about $7.86 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81% of the company.
• Universal’s second-quarter results fell short of estimates: EPS was $0.39 versus $0.58 expected, while revenue was $621.85 million versus $630.10 million expected. EPS also declined from $1.36 a year earlier, with management citing slower tobacco-shipment timing.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share and authorized up to $100 million in share repurchases. Analyst views remain cautious, with MarketBeat reporting a consensus rating of “Reduce.”

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 44.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 188,081 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 58,022 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.76% of Universal worth $7,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal by 67.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Universal by 42.5% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in Universal by 2.7% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 23,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 30.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,980 shares of the company's stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Universal by 507.5% during the third quarter. Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on UVV shares. Zacks Research raised Universal from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce".

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

More Universal News

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Universal declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, payable February 1, 2027, and authorized repurchases of up to $100 million of its shares. Dividend and share repurchase announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: The company appointed Gregory R. Friedman, an experienced finance and operations executive, to its board, which now has 10 members. Board appointment announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter EPS was $0.39, below the $0.58 consensus and down from $1.36 a year earlier. Revenue of $621.85 million also missed estimates of $630.10 million. Management said first-half results reflected slower timing of tobacco shipments, adding to concerns about near-term earnings momentum. Second-quarter results

Universal Stock Performance

NYSE:UVV opened at $39.63 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $42.60 and its 200-day moving average is $50.13. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $38.11 and a 1-year high of $59.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $986.91 million, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.61.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.19). Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. The business had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $630.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 11th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. Universal's dividend payout ratio is 431.17%.

Universal Profile

Universal Corporation NYSE: UVV is a global agricultural products company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Through its tobacco operations, the company purchases tobacco from growers, processes and stores the leaf, and supplies it to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products.

Universal handles several types of tobacco, including flue-cured, burley, dark air-cured and oriental varieties, as well as other specialty leaf products.

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