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: $53.24 to $54.11
• 50-Day Range: $50.88 to $54.12
• 52-Week Range: $49.96 to $67.33
• Volume: 173,313 shs
• Average Volume: 181,089 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.33 billion
• P/E Ratio: 15.76
• Dividend Yield: 6.14%
• Price Target: N/A
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Universal Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Universal scored higher than 53% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 98th out of 150 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: 1.4 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Universal has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.00, and is based on no strong buy ratings, no buy ratings, 2 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Universal has only been the subject of 2 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 5.52%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Universal are expected to grow by 5.52% in the coming year, from $4.17 to $4.40 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Universal is 15.76, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 38.80.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Universal is 15.76, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Consumer Staples sector average P/E ratio of about 26.30.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Universal has a PEG Ratio of 3.04. 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 0.88. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

6.23% 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 7.44.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Universal has recently decreased by 4.77%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Leadership

Universal is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 6.13%, 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 96.76%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Universal will have a dividend payout ratio of 74.55% next year. This indicates that Universal will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.3 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.72

News Sentiment

Universal has a news sentiment score of 0.72. 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 news sentiment score is similar to the average news sentiment of Consumer Staples companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 6 news articles for Universal this week, compared to 10 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 13 people have searched for UVV on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -32% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

16 people have added Universal to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 0.8 / 5
• Insider Trading: N/A

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Universal insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

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.

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 2/09/2026
• Record date for 5/4 Dividend: 4/15/2026
• Ex-Dividend for 5/4 Dividend: 4/15/2026
• Dividend Payable: 5/04/2026
• Today: 5/17/2026
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 5/27/2026
• Fiscal Year End: 3/31/2027

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Consumer Staples
• Industry: N/A
• 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: 1886

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $3.39
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 15.76
• Forward P/E Ratio: 12.81
• P/E Growth: 3.04
• Net Income: $95.05 million
• Net Margins: 2.93%
• Pretax Margin: 5.27%
• Return on Equity: 6.49%
• Return on Assets: 3.19%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.40
• Current Ratio: 2.91
• Quick Ratio: 1.30

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $2.95 billion
• Price / Sales: 0.45
• Cash Flow: $7.11 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 7.51
• Book Value: $60.71 per share
• Price / Book: 0.88

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 24,920,000
• Free Float: 24,449,000
• Market Cap: $1.33 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.61