StockNews.com Downgrades Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) to Buy

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

Universal Insurance Stock Up 0.1 %

UVE opened at $21.66 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $612.53 million, a P/E ratio of 8.80 and a beta of 0.91. Universal Insurance has a 12 month low of $16.50 and a 12 month high of $23.39.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $384.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $349.91 million. Universal Insurance had a return on equity of 15.43% and a net margin of 4.82%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Universal Insurance will post 1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Universal Insurance news, Director Jon Springer sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,905,993.64. This trade represents a 6.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.51, for a total value of $1,025,500.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 985,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,208,913.20. This represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 115,000 shares of company stock worth $2,424,450 over the last quarter. 17.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVE. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position 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 worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position 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 worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 240.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 8.9% during 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 during the period. 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.