What is Sidoti Csr’s Forecast for Universal FY2026 Earnings?

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) – Equities research analysts at Sidoti Csr decreased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Universal in a research note issued on Thursday, February 12th. Sidoti Csr analyst D. Harriman now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $4.17 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $4.74.

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

Several other research firms have also recently commented on UVV. Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Performance

UVV opened at $53.44 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $54.31 and its 200-day moving average is $54.02. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.66. Universal has a twelve month low of $49.96 and a twelve month high of $67.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in Universal in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,351,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the second quarter valued at $683,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 29.9% in the third quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 138,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,742,000 after buying an additional 31,897 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Advisors boosted its position in shares of Universal by 44.4% in the second quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 17,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,036,000 after buying an additional 5,474 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,218.7% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 123,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,199,000 after buying an additional 114,229 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 96.76%.

Trending Headlines about Universal

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.