Universal (NYSE:UVV) Downgraded by Weiss Ratings to "Hold (C+)"

Key Points

• Universal (NYSE:UVV) has been downgraded by Weiss Ratings from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook on the company's stock performance.
• The company's stock was trading at $53.49 with a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, and it reported earnings of $0.38 per share last quarter with revenues of $593.76 million.
• Insider transactions included notable sales, with Director Robert C. Sledd selling 4,617 shares, leading to a 22.73% reduction in his ownership stake in the company.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on UVV. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $53.49. The stock had a trading volume of 45,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 214,153. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Universal has a 12 month low of $49.40 and a 12 month high of $67.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $54.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.13.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $593.76 million for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 3.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of Universal stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $245,855.25. Following the sale, the director owned 15,698 shares in the company, valued at $835,918.50. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Airton L. Hentschke sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 135,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,423,987.26. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,417 shares of company stock valued at $943,347 in the last three months. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in UVV. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Universal by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,929,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,211,000 after buying an additional 16,170 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,378,295 shares of the company's stock worth $80,272,000 after acquiring an additional 21,763 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,651,000 after acquiring an additional 7,402 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 180.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,517,000 after purchasing an additional 281,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Universal by 1.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 380,345 shares of the company's stock worth $22,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,958 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Tobacco Operations; and Ingredients Operations. It is involved in the procuring, financing, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products.

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