UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC (NYSE:UVE) Shares Sold by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

CWA Asset Management Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC (NYSE:UVE - Free Report) by 55.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 251,570 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 319,045 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC owned approximately 0.90% of UNIVERSAL INSURANCE worth $5,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its position in UNIVERSAL INSURANCE by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 1,720,519 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $36,234,000 after purchasing an additional 174,843 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in UNIVERSAL INSURANCE by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 126,602 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,666,000 after purchasing an additional 69,205 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in UNIVERSAL INSURANCE during the fourth quarter valued at $1,212,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in UNIVERSAL INSURANCE by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 608,889 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $12,823,000 after purchasing an additional 57,424 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new position in UNIVERSAL INSURANCE during the fourth quarter valued at $1,137,000. 66.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total transaction of $526,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 951,667 shares in the company, valued at $25,066,908.78. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $811,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 301,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,167,655.10. This trade represents a 9.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 101,393 shares of company stock worth $2,687,275. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

UNIVERSAL INSURANCE Price Performance

Shares of UNIVERSAL INSURANCE stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.34. The stock had a trading volume of 239,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 191,539. The stock's 50 day moving average is $25.62 and its 200 day moving average is $22.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $741.33 million, a PE ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.87. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC has a twelve month low of $16.50 and a twelve month high of $28.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

UNIVERSAL INSURANCE (NYSE:UVE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $394.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.97 million. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 15.73%. Equities analysts expect that UNIVERSAL INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UNIVERSAL INSURANCE Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. UNIVERSAL INSURANCE's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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.

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.