Universal (NYSE:UVV) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $54.02 and traded as high as $54.52. Universal shares last traded at $53.7110, with a volume of 227,057 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UVV shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Down 0.2%

The company has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by ($0.57). The company had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $927.20 million. Universal had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 6.49%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.76%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Universal by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the period. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Universal during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Universal by 265.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Universal in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Company Profile

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.