Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 39.7x · EV/EBITDA 8.2x · ROE 2.2%. (1997–2026 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $1.3B | $1.3B | $1.4B | $1.3B | $1.3B | $1.4B | $1.5B | $1.1B | $1.5B | $1.2B | $1.7B |
| Enterprise Value | $2.2B | $2.2B | $2.3B | $2.3B | $2.1B | $2.1B | $1.9B | $1.5B | $1.6B | $1.4B | $1.8B |
| P/E Ratio → | 39.74 | 40.54 | 14.83 | 10.82 | 10.64 | 16.73 | 16.71 | 15.46 | 14.02 | 11.71 | 80.40 |
| P/S Ratio | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.51 | 0.69 | 0.74 | 0.58 | 0.66 | 0.61 | 0.81 |
| P/B Ratio | 0.89 | 0.91 | 0.94 | 0.88 | 0.92 | 1.05 | 1.08 | 0.86 | 1.06 | 0.89 | 1.27 |
| P/FCF | 16.04 | 16.54 | 5.33 | — | — | — | 9.48 | — | 11.61 | 25.14 | 7.83 |
| P/OCF | 9.97 | 10.28 | 4.31 | — | — | 32.25 | 6.63 | 101.86 | 8.87 | 14.86 | 6.72 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 0.75 | 0.76 | 0.84 | 0.82 | 1.00 | 0.96 | 0.78 | 0.71 | 0.70 | 0.88 |
| EV / EBITDA | 8.18 | 8.33 | 7.41 | 8.22 | 8.83 | 9.90 | 9.93 | 9.01 | 7.99 | 6.87 | 8.52 |
| EV / EBIT | 10.24 | 10.43 | 9.34 | 10.00 | 11.00 | 12.39 | 12.69 | 11.15 | 9.39 | 7.78 | 9.84 |
| EV / FCF | — | 27.47 | 8.52 | — | — | — | 12.40 | — | 12.60 | 28.81 | 8.50 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 17.5% | 17.5% | 18.6% | 19.5% | 17.8% | 19.4% | 19.5% | 18.7% | 18.3% | 18.3% | 19.1% |
| Operating Margin | 7.2% | 7.2% | 8.3% | 8.1% | 7.0% | 7.6% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 7.2% | 8.4% | 8.6% |
| Net Profit Margin | 1.1% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 5.1% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 2.2% | 2.2% | 6.4% | 8.2% | 8.8% | 6.3% | 6.6% | 5.4% | 7.5% | 7.8% | 7.6% |
| ROA | 1.1% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.9% |
| ROIC | 6.8% | 6.8% | 7.6% | 7.1% | 6.4% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 6.0% | 7.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% |
| ROCE | 9.5% | 9.5% | 10.9% | 10.0% | 8.5% | 7.8% | 7.6% | 6.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% | 9.3% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.64 | 0.64 | 0.74 | 0.72 | 0.59 | 0.54 | 0.48 | 0.37 | 0.31 | 0.30 | 0.32 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 3.55 | 3.55 | 3.63 | 3.80 | 3.56 | 3.48 | 3.36 | 2.93 | 2.13 | 2.01 | 2.00 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 0.60 | 0.56 | 0.68 | 0.55 | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.11 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 3.31 | 3.31 | 2.78 | 3.60 | 3.29 | 3.10 | 2.34 | 2.28 | 0.63 | 0.87 | 0.67 |
| Debt / FCF | — | 10.93 | 3.19 | — | — | — | 2.92 | — | 0.99 | 3.67 | 0.67 |
| Interest Coverage | 2.85 | 2.85 | 2.77 | 3.48 | 3.88 | 6.13 | 6.04 | 6.71 | 9.64 | 11.67 | 11.39 |
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 3.49 | 3.49 | 2.87 | 2.96 | 4.08 | 3.37 | 5.31 | 5.53 | 6.26 | 5.94 | 5.83 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.34 | 1.34 | 1.32 | 0.98 | 1.73 | 1.41 | 2.62 | 2.52 | 3.50 | 3.14 | 3.46 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.35 | 0.08 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.67 | 0.40 | 1.17 | 0.87 | 1.06 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 1.06 | 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.97 | 0.81 | 0.85 | 0.90 | 1.04 | 0.94 | 0.98 |
| Inventory Turnover | 1.99 | 1.99 | 2.06 | 1.58 | 2.04 | 1.67 | 2.03 | 1.93 | 2.60 | 2.22 | 2.64 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 71.91 | 78.39 | 70.47 | 58.84 | 67.67 | 67.74 | 67.30 | 65.40 | 68.04 | 77.83 |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 6.2% | 6.1% | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 5.1% | 6.8% | 4.8% | 4.4% | 3.0% |
| Payout Ratio | 249.1% | 249.1% | 83.8% | 65.6% | 62.4% | 88.3% | 86.0% | 105.1% | 67.1% | 51.8% | 46.9% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2026 | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 2.5% | 2.5% | 6.7% | 9.2% | 9.4% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.5% | 7.1% | 8.5% | 1.2% |
| FCF Yield | 6.2% | 6.0% | 18.8% | — | — | — | 10.5% | — | 8.6% | 4.0% | 12.8% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 3.0% | 0.1% | 1.7% | 10.6% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 6.2% | 6.1% | 5.7% | 6.4% | 6.1% | 5.5% | 5.1% | 9.8% | 4.9% | 6.2% | 13.6% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $25M | $25M | $25M | $25M | $25M | $25M | $25M | $25M | $26M | $24M |
Seasonal working capital volatility
According to current market data, UVV trades at a trailing P/E of 41.38, which appears disconnected from its forward P/E of 12.90, suggesting that investors are pricing in significant earnings recovery or a potential re-rating as the Ingredients segment gains scale relative to legacy tobacco operations.
The wide gap between trailing and forward multiples indicates that the market is heavily discounting recent non-recurring charges and seasonal earnings volatility. Investors should monitor whether the forward multiple of 12.90 accurately captures the risk of secular tobacco decline or if it overly optimistic regarding the margin expansion potential of the Ingredients division.
Based on reported financial figures, ROIC has struggled to maintain momentum, hovering between 0.5% and 3.1% over the last ten quarters, which indicates that the company is failing to generate returns on invested capital that consistently exceed its cost of capital during the current agricultural cycle.
The low ROIC trend suggests that the capital-intensive nature of leaf merchanting, combined with the thin margins of the Ingredients pivot, is suppressing value creation. This performance warrants further investigation into whether the company's asset base is bloated by seasonal inventory that fails to convert into high-margin cash flows.
As reported in quarterly filings, the cash conversion cycle remains highly extended, peaking at 316 days in 2026Q1, which highlights the significant liquidity burden imposed by the seasonal procurement of tobacco leaf and the resulting reliance on short-term credit to manage inventory turnover throughout the year.
The high DIO (Days Inventory Outstanding) relative to peers suggests that UVV is structurally tethered to the harvest cycle, limiting its ability to optimize working capital. Investors should be wary of the impact this inefficiency has on free cash flow, as the company must constantly finance large inventory positions before realizing revenue.
Based on an analysis of the business model, the P/E ratio is a fundamentally flawed metric for UVV, as it obscures the massive, non-cash working capital swings and seasonal inventory accounting that render quarterly earnings highly volatile and unrepresentative of the company's underlying cash-generating capacity.
Analysts should instead prioritize EV/EBITDA or P/FCF, as these metrics better account for the debt-heavy capital structure and the lumpy nature of cash flows inherent in agricultural commodity processing. Relying on P/E risks misinterpreting temporary seasonal losses as permanent impairments of the company's core earning power.
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
DCF models, multiple analysis, and analyst estimates.
10-year return with dividends reinvested.
See how regular investing compounds over time.
Compare growth, multiples, and margins vs sector.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying UVV stock.
Universal Corporation's current P/E ratio is 39.7x. The historical average is 20.0x. This places it at the 87th percentile of its historical range.
Universal Corporation's current EV/EBITDA is 8.2x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 7.6x.
Universal Corporation's return on equity (ROE) is 2.2%. The historical average is 11.4%.
Based on historical data, Universal Corporation is trading at a P/E of 39.7x. This is at the 87th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
Universal Corporation's current dividend yield is 6.25% with a payout ratio of 249.1%.
Universal Corporation has 17.5% gross margin and 7.2% operating margin.
Universal Corporation's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 3.5x, indicating high leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.