Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Universal Q4 Earnings

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Sidoti lowered their Q4 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Universal in a research report issued on Monday, August 10th. Sidoti analyst D. Harriman now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.05 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.07. The consensus estimate for Universal’s current full-year earnings is $4.30 per share. Sidoti also issued estimates for Universal’s Q3 2028 earnings at $1.87 EPS, Q4 2028 earnings at $1.16 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.95 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on UVV. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Trading Down 7.2%

NYSE:UVV opened at $47.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 61.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal has a 52-week low of $46.96 and a 52-week high of $59.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.20.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.43). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The firm had revenue of $523.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.00 million.

Institutional Trading of Universal

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 75.2% during 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. boosted its position in shares of Universal by 67.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% in the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Universal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Universal by 265.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the sale, the director owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 431.17%.

About Universal

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.