Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Takes Position 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 bought a new position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $324,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Universal in the 1st quarter worth approximately $202,000. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new stake in Universal during the first quarter worth approximately $233,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the first quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in shares of Universal by 8.3% in the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,654 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Airton L. Hentschke sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 135,129 shares in the company, valued at $7,423,987.26. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total value of $148,092.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,040,293.41. This represents a 12.46% 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 valued at $943,347 over the last three months. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $56.24. The company had a trading volume of 216,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 183,488. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.40 and a 1-year high of $67.33. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $54.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68, a P/E/G ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Universal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.81%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on UVV. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

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.