Wall Street Zen Downgrades Universal (NYSE:UVV) to Hold

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock opened at $53.44 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $54.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.03. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 2.91. Universal has a one year low of $49.96 and a one year high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.92 by ($0.57). Universal had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 6.49%. The company had revenue of $861.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $927.20 million.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Universal by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 18,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Universal by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 261,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,770,000 after purchasing an additional 30,058 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 49,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,598,000 after buying an additional 11,203 shares during the period. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Universal

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q1 2027 EPS view to $0.34 (from $0.30) — a modest near-term improvement in Street expectations that could support the next quarterly print.
• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti nudged its Q4 2026 estimate to $1.08 (from $1.07), a slight upgrade to the near-term outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: EU antitrust clearance of Universal Music Group’s takeover of Downtown was announced — this concerns Universal Music Group (UMG), not Universal Corporation (UVV), and is not directly material to UVV’s business. EU clears Universal Music takeover of Downtown
• Neutral Sentiment: News about a debt settlement at Universal Digital Inc. (ticker LFG/LFGMF) is unrelated to UVV and should not affect UVV’s fundamentals. Universal Digital Inc. Announces Debt Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results missed expectations materially: EPS $1.35 vs. $1.92 consensus and revenue $861.3M vs. $927.2M. Management affirmed the dividend despite the miss — investors likely interpreted the combination as signaling near-term earnings weakness, triggering the sharp share decline. Universal (UVV) Is Down 10.1% After Weaker Q3 Results and Affirmed Dividend – What’s Changed
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti’s revisions include cuts to FY2027 (from $4.61 to $4.40) and lower Q2–Q3–Q4 2027 quarter forecasts versus prior views — these downward revisions reduce forward earnings expectations and add pressure to the stock until management provides clearer recovery signals.

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.