Universal Corporation $UVV Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC has increased its stake in Universal Corporation by 45.8%, owning a total of 26,319 shares valued at approximately $1.48 million.
• Universal Corporation declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, amounting to an annualized value of $3.28, with a yield of 5.8%.
• Recent research reports have seen Zacks Research upgrade the stock rating from "hold" to "buy," indicating a positive outlook for Universal Corporation.

LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 45.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,319 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,271 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Universal worth $1,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 38.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Universal in the first quarter worth about $202,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new position in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter valued at $233,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Universal by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,445 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Universal news, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total value of $148,092.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total value of $245,855.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 15,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $835,918.50. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Universal Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UVV traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.60. The stock had a trading volume of 52,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,267. Universal Corporation has a 12-month low of $49.40 and a 12-month high of $67.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.49. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $55.92 and a 200-day moving average of $55.98.

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

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 paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Universal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.81%.

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.