Universal (NYSE:UVV) Share Price Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $50.48 and traded as low as $41.54. Universal shares last traded at $42.2690, with a volume of 355,699 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UVV. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 2.57. The company has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.39, a P/E/G ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $45.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.42.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.43). Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. The company had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. On average, research analysts predict that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 431.17%.

Insider Activity at Universal

In other news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $843,701.70. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal by 67.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal in the third quarter worth about $126,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Universal by 2,580.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,000 after purchasing an additional 3,251 shares during the period. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter worth about $179,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global leaf tobacco supplier and processor. Through its operating companies, the company purchases tobacco from growers, processes and blends leaf, and supplies tobacco products and related materials to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products. Its services include crop contracting, agricultural support, curing, processing, storage, packaging and logistics.

Founded in 1918 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Universal has developed an international network of tobacco sourcing, processing and distribution operations.