Sidoti Csr Has Pessimistic View of Universal FY2026 Earnings

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Sidoti Csr lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for Universal in a note issued to investors on Thursday, February 12th. Sidoti Csr analyst D. Harriman now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $4.17 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $4.74.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Universal stock opened at $53.44 on Monday. Universal has a 1-year low of $49.96 and a 1-year high of $67.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The business has a 50-day moving average of $54.31 and a 200-day moving average of $54.02.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $861.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $927.20 million.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 96.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 917.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 578,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,324,000 after buying an additional 521,724 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in Universal by 180.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,517,000 after acquiring an additional 281,920 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,575.1% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 279,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,591,000 after purchasing an additional 262,399 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Universal by 98.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,500,000 after purchasing an additional 155,244 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 21.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 815,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,579,000 after purchasing an additional 142,439 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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.

About Universal

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.