Universal (NYSE:UVV) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as $38.09 and last traded at $37.96, with a volume of 46,069 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Trading Down 4.2%

The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $940.01 million, a PE ratio of -420.34, a P/E/G ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.99.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.19). Universal had a positive return on equity of 1.88% and a negative net margin of 0.09%. The firm had revenue of $621.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $630.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Investors of record on Monday, January 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.8%. Universal’s payout ratio is presently -3,688.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 67.1% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal by 507.5% in the 3rd quarter. Virginia Estate & Retirement Planning Advisors Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Universal by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Universal by 2,580.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 3,251 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

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.