Universal (UVV) Competitors

Universal (NYSE:UVV) and Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Do analysts rate UVV or PM?

Philip Morris International has a consensus price target of $186.27, suggesting a potential upside of 8.51%. Given Philip Morris International's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Philip Morris International is more favorable than Universal.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Universal	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00
Philip Morris International	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	12 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.92

Is UVV or PM a better dividend stock?

Universal pays an annual dividend of $3.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.8%. Philip Morris International pays an annual dividend of $5.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. 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 pays out 102.7% 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 has raised its dividend for 56 consecutive years and Philip Morris International has raised its dividend for 17 consecutive years. Universal is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders & institutionals believe in UVV or PM?

81.0% of Universal shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.6% of Philip Morris International shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Universal shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Philip Morris International shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor UVV or PM?

In the previous week, Philip Morris International had 15 more articles in the media than Universal. MarketBeat recorded 43 mentions for Philip Morris International and 28 mentions for Universal. Philip Morris International's average media sentiment score of 1.47 beat Universal's score of 0.90 indicating that Philip Morris International is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Universal	8 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Philip Morris International	37 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is UVV or PM more profitable?

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.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Universal	3.51%	8.46%	4.10%
Philip Morris International	9.03%	-120.86%	16.83%

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, UVV or PM?

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.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Universal	$2.95B	0.48	$95.05M	$4.11	13.78
Philip Morris International	$39.06B	6.84	$7.06B	$5.26	32.64

Which has more volatility and risk, UVV or PM?

Universal has a beta of 0.74, suggesting that its stock price is 26% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Philip Morris International has a beta of 0.48, suggesting that its stock price is 52% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Philip Morris International beats Universal on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.