UniversalHAM:UVV +0.26%72 Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 29, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 4.00. GuruFocus rates HAM:UVV with a GF Score™ of 72/100 and a GF Value™ of €46.38. The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 47 Tobacco Products companies, Universal ranks worse than 63.83% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Universal has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Universal's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
HAM:UVV'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 4 Max: 7
Current: 4
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Universal was 7. The lowest was 3. And the median was 4.
Universal (HAM:UVV) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Universal Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Universal Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Universal's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
HAM:UVV vs AIIR, TPB, ISPR: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Tobacco subindustry, Universal's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Universal Piotroski F-Score vs Tobacco Products Industry
For the Tobacco Products industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Universal's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Universal's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Universal's current Net Income (TTM) was 27.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Universal's return on assets of this year was 0.00992248. Universal's return on assets of last year was 0.03296722.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Universal's gearing of this year was 0.21138681. Universal's gearing of last year was 0.21195773.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Universal's current ratio of this year was 3.49442701. Universal's current ratio of last year was 2.8741791.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Universal's number of shares in issue this year was 25.184. Universal's number of shares in issue last year was 25.164.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Universal's gross margin of this year was 0.17500884. Universal's gross margin of last year was 0.18624965.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Universal's asset turnover of this year was 0.90823538. Universal's asset turnover of last year was 1.01384878.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Universal has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Universal (HAM:UVV) has a Piotroski F-Score of 4 as of Jun. 29, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Universal and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 4.00. Over the past decade, Universal's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Universal ranks #30 out of 47 companies in the Tobacco Products industry, placing it in the top 63.8%.
Is Universal's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Universal's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is near median its 10-year median of 4.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 7.00. The Tobacco Products industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Universal's value of 4 is 20% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Universal ranks #30 out of 47 companies in the Tobacco Products industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Universal has a GF Score™ of 72/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Universal's Piotroski F-Score compare to AIIR and TPB?
According to the Tobacco Products industry distribution chart, Universal ranks #30 out of 47 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Universal in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Universal's value of 4 is 20% below this benchmark. Historically, Universal's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 4.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Universal has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Tobacco Products company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Tobacco Products companies is 5.00, based on 47 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Universal's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 20% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Universal and its competitors. For the Tobacco Products industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Universal's current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is near median its own 10-year median of 4.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Universal stock overvalued right now?
Universal (HAM:UVV) has a current Piotroski F-Score of 4. The stock's GF Value™ is €46.38, compared to a current price of €46.24 — trading 0.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is near median its 10-year median of 4.00 and 20% below the Tobacco Products industry median of 5.00. Universal's overall GF Score™ is 72/100 with 8 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Universal (HAM:UVV), the current Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 29, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Universal (HAM:UVV) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Universal stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of €46.24 is trading 0.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of €46.38.
Key valuation signals for HAM:UVV:
Piotroski F-Score: 4 (near median its 10-year median of 4.00)
GF Value™: €46.38 vs. price of €46.24 (0.3% below fair value)
Industry Position: 20% below the Tobacco Products median (#30 of 47)
No single metric tells the full story. See the HAM:UVV stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Universal Corp is an international leaf tobacco supplier. The company procures leaf tobacco from farmers, processes it, and sells it to companies that manufacture consumer tobacco products. Universal does not manufacture or sell any consumer products itself. The company's segments include Tobacco Operations and Ingredients Operations. It generates maximum revenue from the Tobacco Operations segment. Geographically, it derives a majority of revenue from the United States. The company operates in the USA, Belgium, China, Egypt, Philippines, Germany, and Other Countries with majority of revenue from USA.
72GF Score
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