Graham Capital Management L.P. Raises Stock Holdings in Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE)

Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE - Free Report) by 69.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,003 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,863 shares during the quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. owned approximately 0.08% of Universal Insurance worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Universal Insurance by 45,981.8% in the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 5,069 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 5,058 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Universal Insurance in the 4th quarter valued at $121,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Universal Insurance in the 4th quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Universal Insurance by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,189 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306 shares during the period. 66.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Universal Insurance from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Insider Transactions at Universal Insurance

In other news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.34, for a total value of $526,800.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 951,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,066,908.78. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 26,393 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.61, for a total value of $675,924.73. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 331,835 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,498,294.35. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,393 shares of company stock worth $2,085,925 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 16.60% of the company's stock.

Universal Insurance Price Performance

Universal Insurance stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Monday, reaching $26.70. The company had a trading volume of 269,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 186,091. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $23.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.74. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.50 and a 1-year high of $26.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $751.47 million, a PE ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.32. Universal Insurance had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The firm had revenue of $394.87 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $354.97 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Insurance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Universal Insurance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.95%.

About Universal Insurance

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.