Short Interest in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Decreases By 15.4%

Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 417,800 shares, a drop of 15.4% from the December 31st total of 494,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 142,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,730,000 after purchasing an additional 71,773 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in Universal by 341.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 31,370 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Universal by 4.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 542,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,822,000 after acquiring an additional 24,089 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Universal in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $697,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 30.4% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after buying an additional 11,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock traded down $0.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 128,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,690. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $54.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.92. Universal has a one year low of $45.19 and a one year high of $59.91. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60.

Universal announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Universal Company 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.