Universal (UVV) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products. The company’s processing facilities employ proprietary grading and flavor-profiling techniques to meet the stringent specifications of its customers. Through regional offices and processing centers in Brazil, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and Europe, Universal maintains close relationships with local growers and invests in agricultural extension programs aimed at improving crop yields and sustainable farming practices.

Founded in the early 20th century, Universal has grown through the development of global trading networks and long-term partnerships with tobacco growers and manufacturers. The company is led by a seasoned management team headquartered in Richmond, with a board of directors that brings deep experience in agribusiness, finance and international trade. Universal continues to expand its value-added services while maintaining a focus on quality assurance, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship across its worldwide operations.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $54.71 to $55.64
• 50-Day Range: $51.60 to $58.54
• 52-Week Range: $49.40 to $67.33
• Volume: 183,870 shs
• Average Volume: 184,650 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.37 billion
• P/E Ratio: 13.37
• Dividend Yield: 5.97%
• Price Target: N/A
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Universal Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Universal scored higher than 51% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 103rd out of 157 stocks in the consumer staples sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: N/A
• Analyst Rating: N/A

Consensus Rating

There is not enough analysis data for Universal.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: N/A

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Universal is 13.37, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 280.30.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Universal is 13.37, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Consumer Staples sector average P/E ratio of about 18.21.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Universal has a PEG Ratio of 6.23. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Universal has a P/B Ratio of 0.90. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.96% of the float of Universal has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Universal has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.6, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Universal has recently increased by 15.78%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Leadership

Universal is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 5.92%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.

Dividend Growth

Universal has been increasing its dividend for 56 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Universal is 79.81%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Environmental Score: -1.60

Percentage of Shares Shorted

2.96% of the float of Universal has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Universal has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.6, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Universal has recently increased by 15.78%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.7 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.85

News Sentiment

Universal has a news sentiment score of 0.85. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.98 average news sentiment score of Consumer Staples companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 8 news articles for Universal this week, compared to 16 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

7 people have searched for UVV on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 75% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

2 people have added Universal to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 100% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Universal insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $943,347.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 1.90% of the stock of Universal is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

81.00% of the stock of Universal is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

UVV Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have UVV shares performed this year?

Universal's stock was trading at $54.84 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, UVV shares have increased by 0.2% and is now trading at $54.9350.

How were Universal's earnings last quarter?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August, 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. The company earned $593.76 million during the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 3.51% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 8.46%.
Read the conference call transcript.

Is Universal buying back stock?

Universal's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th 2024, which permits the company to buy back $100,000,000 in outstanding shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Who are Universal's major shareholders?

Top institutional investors of Universal include State Street Corp (5.54%), First Trust Advisors LP (3.47%), Invesco Ltd. (2.71%) and Geode Capital Management LLC (2.34%). Insiders that own company stock include Airton L Hentschke, Preston Douglas Wigner, Theodore G Broome, Candace C Formacek, Thomas H Johnson, Lennart R Freeman and Robert C Sledd.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Universal?

Shares of UVV stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Universal own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Universal investors own include American Water Works (AWK), Waste Connections (WCN), The RMR Group (RMR), iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), AU Optronics (AUOTY) and Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 8/4 Dividend: 7/14/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 8/4 Dividend: 7/14/2025
• Dividend Payable: 8/04/2025
• Last Earnings: 8/06/2025
• Today: 9/15/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 11/3 Dividend: 10/10/2025
• Record date for 11/3 Dividend: 10/13/2025
• Dividend Payable: 11/03/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 11/10/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 3/31/2026

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Consumer Staples
• Industry: TOBACCO
• Sub-Industry: Tobacco
• Current Symbol: NYSE:UVV
• CIK: 102037
• Web: www.universalcorp.com
• Phone: (804) 359-9311
• Fax: 804-254-3594
• Employees: 28,500
• Year Founded: N/A

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $4.11
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 13.37
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: 6.23
• Net Income: $95.05 million
• Net Margins: 3.51%
• Pretax Margin: 5.98%
• Return on Equity: 8.46%
• Return on Assets: 4.10%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.41
• Current Ratio: 2.49
• Quick Ratio: 0.98

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.94 billion
• Price / Sales: 0.46
• Cash Flow: $7.06 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 7.78
• Book Value: $60.71 per share
• Price / Book: 0.90

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 24,886,000
• Free Float: 24,413,000
• Market Cap: $1.37 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.75