Universal (NYSE:UVV) Director Lennart Freeman Sells 1,782 Shares of Stock

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director owned 16,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Universal Stock Performance

Universal stock opened at $46.34 on Wednesday. Universal Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $46.19 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.18, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 2.57.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $587.00 million. Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 431.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UVV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Key Stories Impacting Universal

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its estimates for Universal’s third-quarter and fourth-quarter fiscal 2028 earnings to $1.87 and $1.16 per share, respectively, from $1.77 and $1.12. These increases suggest some improvement in the analyst’s outlook for those periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sidoti lowered its fourth-quarter fiscal 2027 EPS forecast modestly to $1.05 from $1.07, while maintaining estimates of $3.95 EPS for fiscal 2028 and $4.30 for the current full year.
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti cut its fiscal 2028 EPS forecast sharply to $3.95 from $4.38. The reduction indicates weaker expected profitability over the full year and is likely weighing more heavily than the higher quarterly estimates.
• Negative Sentiment: Universal’s fiscal first-quarter results were well below expectations: the company reported a $0.18-per-share loss versus the consensus estimate of $0.25 in earnings, while revenue of $523.8 million fell short of the $587.0 million forecast. The earnings miss has undermined investor confidence in near-term operating performance. Universal Corp Stock Is Falling Today: What’s Behind the Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 1,782 shares for approximately $88,800, reducing his direct ownership by 9.5%. Although insider sales can be routine, the transaction adds a modest negative signal after the disappointing earnings report. SEC Form 4 Insider Transaction

Institutional Trading of Universal

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake 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 during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 265.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

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.