Universal (UVV) Competitors

Vector Group (NYSE:VGR) and Universal (NYSE:UVV) are both small-cap multi-sector conglomerates companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, community ranking, dividends, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Does the media refer more to VGR or UVV?

In the previous week, Vector Group had 1 more articles in the media than Universal. MarketBeat recorded 5 mentions for Vector Group and 4 mentions for Universal. Vector Group's average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Universal's score of 1.14 indicating that Universal is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Vector Group	4 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Universal	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts recommend VGR or UVV?

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vector Group	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	N/A
Universal	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	N/A

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in VGR or UVV?

64.1% of Vector Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.0% of Universal shares are held by institutional investors. 7.1% of Vector Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Universal shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is VGR or UVV a better dividend stock?

Vector Group pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.3%. Universal pays an annual dividend of $3.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.8%. Vector Group pays out 69.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Universal pays out 67.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Universal has raised its dividend for 54 consecutive years.

Which has preferable valuation & earnings, VGR or UVV?

Vector Group has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Universal. Vector Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Universal, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vector Group	$1.41B	1.22	$183.53M	$1.16	9.46
Universal	$2.75B	0.43	$119.60M	$4.77	10.05

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer VGR or UVV?

Vector Group received 69 more outperform votes than Universal when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 61.82% of users gave Vector Group an outperform vote while only 58.33% of users gave Universal an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Vector Group	Outperform Votes 251 61.82%	Underperform Votes 155 38.18%
Universal	Outperform Votes 182 58.33%	Underperform Votes 130 41.67%

Is VGR or UVV more profitable?

Vector Group has a net margin of 12.98% compared to Vector Group's net margin of 4.35%. Vector Group's return on equity of 8.81% beat Universal's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vector Group	12.98%	-25.89%	19.33%
Universal	4.35%	8.81%	4.41%

Which has more risk & volatility, VGR or UVV?

Vector Group has a beta of 1.06, indicating that its share price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Universal has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Vector Group beats Universal on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.