UVV vs. PM, MO, TPB, ISPR, XXII, KAVL, BTI, DAR, MZTI, and BRBR
Should you be buying Universal stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Universal include Philip Morris International (PM), Altria Group (MO), Turning Point Brands (TPB), Ispire Technology (ISPR), 22nd Century Group (XXII), Kaival Brands Innovations Group (KAVL), British American Tobacco (BTI), Darling Ingredients (DAR), Marzetti (MZTI), and BellRing Brands (BRBR).
Universal vs. Its Competitors
Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) and Universal (NYSE:UVV) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and dividends.
Philip Morris International currently has a consensus price target of $194.00, suggesting a potential upside of 23.77%. Given Philip Morris International's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Philip Morris International is more favorable than Universal.
Philip Morris International pays an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Universal pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Philip Morris International pays out 106.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Universal pays out 79.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Philip Morris International has increased its dividend for 17 consecutive years and Universal has increased its dividend for 56 consecutive years. Universal is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.
78.6% of Philip Morris International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.0% of Universal shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Philip Morris International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.9% of Universal shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
In the previous week, Philip Morris International had 67 more articles in the media than Universal. MarketBeat recorded 71 mentions for Philip Morris International and 4 mentions for Universal. Philip Morris International's average media sentiment score of 1.26 beat Universal's score of 1.09 indicating that Philip Morris International is being referred to more favorably in the media.
Philip Morris International has a beta of 0.46, indicating that its stock price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Universal has a beta of 0.74, indicating that its stock price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Philip Morris International has higher revenue and earnings than Universal. Universal is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Philip Morris International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Philip Morris International has a net margin of 9.03% compared to Universal's net margin of 3.51%. Universal's return on equity of 8.46% beat Philip Morris International's return on equity.
Summary
Philip Morris International beats Universal on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.
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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time
This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding UVV and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
Skip ChartMedia Sentiment Over Time
This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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This page (NYSE:UVV) was last updated on 10/22/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff