Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Universal Insurance Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:UVE opened at $21.86 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Universal Insurance has a 12 month low of $16.50 and a 12 month high of $23.39. The company has a market cap of $614.04 million, a PE ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.79.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.16. Universal Insurance had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The firm had revenue of $384.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $349.91 million. Research analysts forecast that Universal Insurance will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jon Springer sold 25,000 shares of Universal Insurance stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.63, for a total transaction of $515,750.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 383,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,905,993.64. The trade was a 6.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of Universal Insurance stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total transaction of $441,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 990,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,863,616. This trade represents a 1.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,424,450 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 17.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Universal Insurance by 55.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,171 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Universal Insurance by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,799 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $459,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Universal Insurance by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,758 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.61% 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.