Universal (NYSE:UVV) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on UVV. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Universal presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $52.93 on Wednesday. Universal has a fifty-two week low of $49.19 and a fifty-two week high of $61.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $53.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.59.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($1.54). Universal had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 4.43%. The company had revenue of $715.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $728.20 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of UVV. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 917.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 578,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,324,000 after buying an additional 521,724 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 180.5% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,517,000 after buying an additional 281,920 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Universal by 1,575.1% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 279,058 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,591,000 after purchasing an additional 262,399 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its stake in Universal by 98.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,500,000 after purchasing an additional 155,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Universal by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 815,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,579,000 after purchasing an additional 142,439 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Universal Corporation will hold a virtual 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 18. This is a routine corporate update with limited immediate impact on the stock. Universal Display Corporation to Hold Virtual 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti lowered Universal’s FY2027 EPS estimate to $4.30 from $4.40, signaling less optimistic profit expectations for the tobacco company. Universal Corporation analyst estimate updates
• Negative Sentiment: The firm also cut FY2028 EPS to $4.38 from $4.61 and trimmed several quarterly forecasts, including Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q4 2027, and Q2 2028, reinforcing concerns about near-term earnings momentum. Universal Corporation analyst estimate updates
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a downgrade to Hold, citing persistent tobacco oversupply, margin compression, and questions about dividend safety due to tight free cash flow coverage. Universal Corp: The Three Reasons Why I Am Downgrading To Hold

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.