Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE) Stock Holdings Increased by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 366,877 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,181 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Universal Insurance were worth $7,726,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Universal Insurance by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 13,804 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Universal Insurance by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,189 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Universal Insurance by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,799 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Universal Insurance by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,415 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in Universal Insurance by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 76,132 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,603,000 after acquiring an additional 3,221 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.61% of the company’s stock.

Universal Insurance Stock Up 0.3%

UVE opened at $25.85 on Wednesday. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $16.50 and a one year high of $26.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $23.04 and its 200-day moving average is $21.60. The company has a market capitalization of $727.55 million, a PE ratio of 10.51 and a beta of 0.83.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The insurance provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.32. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 4.82%. The company had revenue of $394.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.97 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Insurance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Universal Insurance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Universal Insurance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Insider Transactions at Universal Insurance

In other news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total value of $441,600.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 990,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,863,616. The trade was a 1.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 26,393 shares of Universal Insurance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.61, for a total value of $675,924.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 331,835 shares in the company, valued at $8,498,294.35. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 66,393 shares of company stock valued at $1,559,125. Corporate insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Universal Insurance Company Profile

Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated insurance holding company in the United States. It develops, markets, and underwrites insurance products for personal residential insurance, such as homeowners, renters/tenants, condo unit owners, and dwelling/fire; and offers allied lines, coverage for other structures, and personal property, liability, and personal articles coverages.