Universal (NYSE:UVV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Universal Corporation has been upgraded from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, signaling increased investor confidence in the stock.
• Despite this upgrade, Zacks Research maintains its "hold" rating on Universal, indicating differing perspectives among analysts.
• The stock currently trades at approximately $56.62, with notable financial metrics including a PE ratio of 13.78 and a market capitalization of $1.41 billion.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Separately, Zacks Research raised Universal to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Universal Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE UVV traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.24. The stock had a trading volume of 193,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 240,800. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.98. Universal has a twelve month low of $49.40 and a twelve month high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released 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 during the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 3.51%.

Insider Transactions at Universal

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 738.3% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 50,608 shares of the company's stock worth $2,947,000 after purchasing an additional 44,571 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth approximately $224,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth approximately $2,112,000. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth approximately $271,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in Universal by 7.6% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 84,279 shares of the company's stock worth $4,908,000 after purchasing an additional 5,980 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company's stock.

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.