Universal (NYSE:UVV) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 17th, 2026

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $44.30 and last traded at $44.0550, with a volume of 36142 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $44.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut Universal from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research raised Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Universal presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on UVV

Universal Stock Down 2.2%

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $51.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 0.60.

Universal (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.43). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The business had revenue of $523.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.00 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Universal Corporation will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 431.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the sale, the director owned 11,959 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lennart R. 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $843,701.70. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 265.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Universal

(Get Free Report)

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.