Universal (NYSE:UVV) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal (NYSE:UVV) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock opened at $52.74 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $52.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.58. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.68. Universal has a 12 month low of $49.40 and a 12 month high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $754.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $704.30 million. Universal had a net margin of 3.74% and a return on equity of 8.24%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Universal in the third quarter valued at $63,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 14,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $825,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the third quarter worth about $709,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Universal by 5.3% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 19,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Company Profile

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.