Barclays PLC Has $1.53 Million Holdings in Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE)

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UVE - Free Report) by 69.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,969 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 28,278 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.24% of Universal Insurance worth $1,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Universal Insurance by 424.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,395 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Universal Insurance by 240.1% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Insurance by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,524 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Universal Insurance during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Universal Insurance in the 3rd quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.61% of the company's stock.

Universal Insurance Stock Performance

Shares of UVE stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $18.95. 123,266 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 135,167. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $536.02 million, a P/E ratio of 7.70 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $21.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.50. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.78 and a fifty-two week high of $23.39.

Universal Insurance (NYSE:UVE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The insurance provider reported ($0.73) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.03) by $0.30. Universal Insurance had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 15.43%. The business had revenue of $387.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $341.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.16) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. will post 1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Insurance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Universal Insurance's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.02%.

Insider Activity at Universal Insurance

In related news, Chairman Sean P. Downes sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.21, for a total value of $404,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 1,062,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,468,315.02. This represents a 1.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jon Springer sold 25,000 shares of Universal Insurance stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.63, for a total value of $515,750.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 383,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,905,993.64. The trade was a 6.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 110,064 shares of company stock worth $2,283,787. 17.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Universal Insurance from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, November 10th.

Universal Insurance 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.