Universal (NYSE:UVV) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Universal (NYSE:UVV) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Price Performance

Universal stock opened at $53.44 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $54.31 and a 200-day moving average of $54.03. Universal has a 1 year low of $49.96 and a 1 year high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.92 by ($0.57). The firm had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.20 million. Universal had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 2.93%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Universal in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti raised its Q1 2027 EPS view to $0.34 (from $0.30) — a modest near-term improvement in Street expectations that could support the next quarterly print.
• Positive Sentiment: Sidoti nudged its Q4 2026 estimate to $1.08 (from $1.07), a slight upgrade to the near-term outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: EU antitrust clearance of Universal Music Group’s takeover of Downtown was announced — this concerns Universal Music Group (UMG), not Universal Corporation (UVV), and is not directly material to UVV’s business. EU clears Universal Music takeover of Downtown
• Neutral Sentiment: News about a debt settlement at Universal Digital Inc. (ticker LFG/LFGMF) is unrelated to UVV and should not affect UVV’s fundamentals. Universal Digital Inc. Announces Debt Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results missed expectations materially: EPS $1.35 vs. $1.92 consensus and revenue $861.3M vs. $927.2M. Management affirmed the dividend despite the miss — investors likely interpreted the combination as signaling near-term earnings weakness, triggering the sharp share decline. Universal (UVV) Is Down 10.1% After Weaker Q3 Results and Affirmed Dividend – What’s Changed
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti’s revisions include cuts to FY2027 (from $4.61 to $4.40) and lower Q2–Q3–Q4 2027 quarter forecasts versus prior views — these downward revisions reduce forward earnings expectations and add pressure to the stock until management provides clearer recovery signals.

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.