Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) Stock Rating Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on UVE. Wall Street Zen raised Universal Insurance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Universal Insurance from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Universal Insurance from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (a+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Universal Insurance Price Performance

Shares of UVE opened at $48.98 on Thursday. Universal Insurance has a 12-month low of $28.32 and a 12-month high of $50.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.69.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The insurance provider reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.36. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 39.04% and a net margin of 13.94%. The firm had revenue of $444.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $601.67 million. Analysts anticipate that Universal Insurance will post 6.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Sean Downes sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.98, for a total transaction of $879,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 1,084,645 shares in the company, valued at $47,702,687.10. This represents a 1.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 15.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Universal Insurance

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Universal Insurance by 83.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 599 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 4,847.3% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 2,666 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $95,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 170,750.0% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,417 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 3,415 shares during the period. 66.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Universal Insurance News

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal Insurance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Significant earnings beat: UVE reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.93 per share, up from $1.36 a year earlier and above analyst estimates. Zacks attributed the 41.9% earnings increase to stronger underwriting results, higher earned premiums and increased investment income. UVE Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Lower Losses & Premium Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Improved underwriting and growth: Management highlighted lower losses, premium growth and an 8% increase in policies in force. The company said it remains focused on organic growth, supporting expectations for continued expansion in its insurance portfolio. Universal signals organic growth focus
• Positive Sentiment: Catastrophe exposure viewed as manageable: Universal characterized the impact from Hurricane Isaias as manageable, reducing concern that catastrophe losses would materially weaken quarterly results or near-term profitability. Universal Insurance Q3 2026 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-screening support: UVE was added to multiple Zacks Rank #1 lists covering momentum, value, income and overall “Strong Buy” stocks. These designations may improve investor attention, but they are not changes to company guidance or analyst price targets. Best Momentum Stock to Buy

About Universal Insurance

Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc (NYSE: UVE) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance through its subsidiaries. Its primary business is personal residential insurance, with products designed to protect homeowners and other residential property owners against risks such as wind, fire, theft and other covered losses.

The company’s offerings include homeowners, condominium unit owners, renters and dwelling fire insurance, along with related residential property coverage.