Universal - UVV Stock Forecast, Price & News

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. The company contracts, purchases, processes, and sells flue-cured, burley, and oriental tobaccos that are primarily used in the manufacture of cigarettes; and dark air-cured tobaccos principally used in the manufacture of cigars, natural wrapped cigars and cigarillos, smokeless, and pipe tobacco products. It also provides value-added services, including blending, chemical, and physical testing of tobacco; service cutting for various manufacturers; manufacturing reconstituted leaf tobacco; just-in-time inventory management services; electronic nicotine delivery systems; and smoke testing services for customers. In addition, the company offers testing services for crop protection agents and tobacco constituents in seed, leaf, and finished products, including e-cigarette liquids and vapors; and analytical services that include chemical compound testing in finished tobacco products and mainstream smoke. Further, it provides a various value-added manufacturing processes to produce specialty vegetable and fruit-based ingredients, as well as botanical extracts and flavorings for human and pet food markets; and recycles waste materials from tobacco production. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

Universal Price Performance

NYSE:UVV opened at $51.53 on Thursday. Universal has a 12 month low of $46.24 and a 12 month high of $64.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.81 and a beta of 0.57. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $57.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.04.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $429.82 million for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 6.85%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.13%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 6th. Universal's dividend payout ratio is 90.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.82, for a total transaction of $127,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 12,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $784,220.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.82, for a total transaction of $127,640.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,220.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Preston Douglas Wigner sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.27, for a total transaction of $225,080.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 46,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,605,244.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $605,640 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.80% of the company's stock.