Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Sold by Bank of America Corp DE

Bank of America Corp DE trimmed its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,615 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,167 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.28% of Universal worth $3,763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal by 828.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 771 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 325.7% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Universal during the fourth quarter worth approximately $111,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Universal by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,052 shares of the company's stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

Universal Trading Up 10.0%

Shares of UVV stock traded up $5.96 on Friday, hitting $65.34. 858,840 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 159,727. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $56.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.71. Universal Co. has a twelve month low of $45.19 and a twelve month high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $702.28 million for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 8.92%.

Universal Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 14th. This is a positive change from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Universal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.34%.

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.