Weiss Ratings Reaffirms Buy (B-) Rating for Universal (NYSE:UVV)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Buy (B-)" rating for Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV), indicating confidence in the company's stock performance.
• Universal's stock is currently down 0.3% to $54.35, with earnings per share reported at $0.38 for the last quarter and a revenue of $593.76 million.
• Insider trading activity includes the sale of shares by COO Airton L. Hentschke and Director Robert C. Sledd, highlighting active management involvement in the company's stock.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded 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 report on Friday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Universal Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE UVV traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $54.35. The stock had a trading volume of 96,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,877. The company has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22, a PEG ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.74. Universal has a 1-year low of $49.40 and a 1-year high of $67.33. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $54.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.28.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. The business 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 135,129 shares in the company, valued at $7,423,987.26. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total value of $245,855.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $835,918.50. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,417 shares of company stock worth $943,347. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 16,170 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Universal by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,378,295 shares of the company's stock worth $80,272,000 after purchasing an additional 21,763 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Universal by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,530 shares of the company's stock worth $32,651,000 after purchasing an additional 7,402 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in Universal by 180.5% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company's stock worth $25,517,000 after purchasing an additional 281,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Universal by 1.1% in the 2nd 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Universal

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.