Universal (NYSE:UVV) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.19 EPS

Universal (NYSE:UVV) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.19), FiscalAI reports. Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%. The company had revenue of $621.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $630.10 million.

Universal Trading Up 0.4%

UVV traded up $0.17 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.63. 382,162 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 265,829. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $42.73 and its 200 day moving average is $50.21. Universal has a 12 month low of $38.11 and a 12 month high of $59.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $986.91 million, a PE ratio of 51.47, a P/E/G ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.61.

Universal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, payable February 1, 2027, and authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100 million. These measures support shareholder returns and may provide support for the stock. Universal Corporation Announces Quarterly Dividend and Share Repurchase Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Universal appointed Gregory R. Friedman, a longtime financial and operational leader, to its board. The appointment adds experience, though no immediate business or financial impact was specified. Universal Corporation Announces Appointment of Gregory R. Friedman to Board of Directors
• Negative Sentiment: Management cited slower tobacco-shipment timing as a factor in first-half results. This may weigh on near-term performance, although the excerpt does not clarify the size or duration of the impact. Universal Corporation Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Results

Insider Activity at Universal

In related news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. One investment 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agricultural products company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Through its tobacco operations, the company purchases tobacco from growers, processes and stores the leaf, and supplies it to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products.

Universal handles several types of tobacco, including flue-cured, burley, dark air-cured and oriental varieties, as well as other specialty leaf products.