Universal (NYSE:UVV) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.19 EPS

Universal (NYSE:UVV) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.19), FiscalAI reports. Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. The firm had revenue of $621.85 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $630.10 million.

Universal Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:UVV traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $39.63. The company had a trading volume of 382,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,829. Universal has a fifty-two week low of $38.11 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 2.57. The firm has a market cap of $986.91 million, a P/E ratio of 51.47, a P/E/G ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $42.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.21.

More Universal News

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 per share, payable February 1, 2027, and authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100 million. These measures support shareholder returns and may provide support for the stock. Universal Corporation Announces Quarterly Dividend and Share Repurchase Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Universal appointed Gregory R. Friedman, a longtime financial and operational leader, to its board. The appointment adds experience, though no immediate business or financial impact was specified. Universal Corporation Announces Appointment of Gregory R. Friedman to Board of Directors
• Negative Sentiment: Management cited slower tobacco-shipment timing as a factor in first-half results. This may weigh on near-term performance, although the excerpt does not clarify the size or duration of the impact. Universal Corporation Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Results

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In other Universal news, Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agricultural products company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Through its tobacco operations, the company purchases tobacco from growers, processes and stores the leaf, and supplies it to manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products.

Universal handles several types of tobacco, including flue-cured, burley, dark air-cured and oriental varieties, as well as other specialty leaf products.