Sidoti Has Positive Forecast for Universal Q1 Earnings

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Equities research analysts at Sidoti increased their Q1 2028 EPS estimates for shares of Universal in a research note issued on Monday, November 9th. Sidoti analyst D. Harriman now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.04 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of ($0.02). The consensus estimate for Universal’s current full-year earnings is $3.09 per share. Sidoti also issued estimates for Universal’s Q4 2028 earnings at $0.83 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.51 EPS.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $630.10 million. Universal had a negative net margin of 0.09% and a positive return on equity of 1.88%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $38.56 on Wednesday. Universal has a 52 week low of $37.38 and a 52 week high of $59.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $961.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.53 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UVV. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal by 67.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Universal by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 7,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 42.5% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Universal by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 11th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 11th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.6%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3,688.89%.

Universal News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $0.04 from a forecast of a $0.02 loss. It also increased its estimates for Q2 and Q4 2027 and Q2 2028, providing some quarter-specific offsets to the broader cuts. Universal Corporation analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate to $3.09 from $3.18 and its FY2028 forecast to $3.51 from $3.95. It also cut projected EPS for Q3 2028 to $1.66 from $1.87 and Q4 2028 to $0.83 from $1.16, signaling weaker earnings expectations in several periods. Universal Corporation analyst coverage

About Universal

Universal Corporation is a global agricultural products and services company best known for sourcing, processing and supplying leaf tobacco to manufacturers. Its services include managing tobacco supply chains, from crop purchasing and processing to logistics and related support for customers. The company also operates an Ingredients Operations business, which supplies products such as dehydrated fruits and vegetables, flavors, extracts and other plant-based ingredients for food and beverage customers.