Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE) Shares Bought by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE) by 31.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,702,188 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 404,446 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Universal Insurance worth $27,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal Insurance during the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Universal Insurance by 14.2% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 73,185 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,026,000 after buying an additional 9,093 shares during the period. Olympiad Research LP acquired a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance in the third quarter valued at about $174,000. Islay Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal Insurance by 24.1% during the 3rd quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC now owns 54,858 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $769,000 after buying an additional 10,651 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in Universal Insurance in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $140,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.61% of the company’s stock.

Universal Insurance Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UVE traded up $0.05 on Monday, reaching $19.60. 268,619 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 188,278. The firm has a market capitalization of $567.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.69 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day moving average is $19.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.34. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.15 and a fifty-two week high of $22.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The insurance provider reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.20. Universal Insurance had a net margin of 5.29% and a return on equity of 19.67%. The firm had revenue of $375.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $328.12 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Universal Insurance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Universal Insurance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UVE shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal Insurance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Universal Insurance in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Universal Insurance from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal Insurance news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.53, for a total value of $390,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 1,191,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,267,846.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Universal Insurance

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.