Insider Selling: Universal (NYSE:UVV) Director Sells 2,845 Shares of Stock

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) Director Robert Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,959 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Universal Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of Universal stock traded down $0.92 on Monday, hitting $52.84. The company had a trading volume of 212,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 213,641. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.59. Universal Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.19 and a twelve month high of $61.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.29 and a 200-day moving average of $53.50.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $715.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $728.20 million. Universal had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 4.43%. Research analysts predict that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 13th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. This is an increase from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 254.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal presently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal by 67.1% in the first 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 period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in Universal by 1,634.4% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the period. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Universal by 265.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.