Fulcrum Equity Management Trims Holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Fulcrum Equity Management reduced its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 51.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,255 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,468 shares during the quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management's holdings in Universal were worth $233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Heritage Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Universal by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 26,605 shares of the company's stock worth $1,459,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 6,186 shares of the company's stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 14,322 shares of the company's stock worth $785,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,166 shares of the company's stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 556 shares during the period. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Universal by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 31,384 shares of the company's stock worth $1,721,000 after buying an additional 567 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Stock Up 10.0%

Shares of NYSE:UVV traded up $5.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $65.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 858,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 159,727. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $56.13 and a 200-day moving average of $54.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal Co. has a 12-month low of $45.19 and a 12-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 (EPS) for the quarter. The company 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Investors of record on Monday, July 14th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This is a boost from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 14th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.02%. Universal's payout ratio is presently 86.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday.

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.