Advisors Asset Management Inc. Raises Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 221,695 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,986 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned 0.90% of Universal worth $11,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Universal by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in Universal by 22.2% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Universal by 3.2% during the second quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 7,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in Universal by 41.7% during the second quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 4,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Trading Down 0.8 %

UVV stock opened at $54.91 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.01. Universal Co. has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $67.80.

Universal announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.90%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Universal Profile

Universal Corporation processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Tobacco Operations; and Ingredients Operations. It is involved in the procuring, financing, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products.