Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on UVV. Zacks Research cut Universal from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV stock opened at $53.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.91. Universal has a 52 week low of $49.96 and a 52 week high of $67.33. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $54.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.66.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $861.29 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $927.20 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 75.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Universal by 265.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about 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.