Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Makes New $324,000 Investment in Universal Corporation $UVV

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd invested approximately $324,000 in Universal Corporation by acquiring 5,780 shares in the first quarter, adding to the significant interest from other institutional investors.
• Universal Corporation recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, representing a 5.9% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 79.81%.
• Analysts have upgraded Universal's stock rating, with Wall Street Zen raising it from "hold" to "buy," reflecting positive sentiment towards the company's performance.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $324,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UVV. TrueMark Investments LLC grew its position in Universal by 227.0% during the 1st quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 97,210 shares of the company's stock worth $5,449,000 after purchasing an additional 67,481 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 7,668.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 64,401 shares of the company's stock worth $3,610,000 after buying an additional 63,572 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 222.6% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,052,000 after buying an additional 62,198 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the first quarter valued at $3,241,000. Finally, Boston Partners raised its position in Universal by 19.4% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 340,281 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,918,000 after buying an additional 55,170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UVV shares. Zacks Research upgraded Universal to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Insider Transactions at Universal

In other news, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total transaction of $148,092.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Airton L. Hentschke sold 10,000 shares of Universal stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 135,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,423,987.26. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,417 shares of company stock worth $943,347 in the last 90 days. 1.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Universal Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE UVV traded down $0.52 on Monday, reaching $54.94. The stock had a trading volume of 183,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 184,650. Universal Corporation has a 1 year low of $49.40 and a 1 year high of $67.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.37, a P/E/G ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 0.75.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 3.51%.The business had revenue of $593.76 million during the quarter.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 13th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. Universal's payout ratio is currently 79.81%.

About Universal

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.