Allianz Asset Management GmbH Buys 26,210 Shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Universal Corporation by 26.9%, now holding 123,813 shares worth $6,940,000.
• Universal Corporation declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, up from the previous $0.81, with a current yield of 6.07%.
• Wall Street analysts downgraded Universal shares from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, indicating a more cautious outlook for the stock.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 26.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 123,813 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,210 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.50% of Universal worth $6,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 995,262 shares of the company's stock worth $54,580,000 after acquiring an additional 201,185 shares during the period. TrueMark Investments LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 227.0% in the first quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 97,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,449,000 after buying an additional 67,481 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 7,668.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 64,401 shares of the company's stock worth $3,610,000 after purchasing an additional 63,572 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Universal by 222.6% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,052,000 after purchasing an additional 62,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Universal by 80.8% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 135,563 shares of the company's stock worth $7,434,000 after buying an additional 60,580 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV stock traded down $0.41 during trading on Thursday, hitting $54.35. The company had a trading volume of 48,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 213,511. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $58.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.87. Universal Corporation has a one year low of $49.05 and a one year high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $702.28 million during the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 7.89%.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 14th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.04%. This is a boost from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Universal's payout ratio is presently 86.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 31st.

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.