New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 19,917 Shares of Universal Corporation $UVV

Key Points

• New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its Universal Corporation stake by 43.3% in the first quarter, selling 19,917 shares and leaving it with 26,043 shares worth about $1.37 million.
• Universal’s stock rose slightly to $51.62, but the shares remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages and sit near the low end of the 52-week range.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS miss and revenue below expectations, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.83 per share for a 6.4% annualized yield.

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 43.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,043 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,917 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.10% of Universal worth $1,372,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in Universal by 1,634.4% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in Universal in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Universal by 265.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Universal during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Universal Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:UVV traded up $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $51.62. The stock had a trading volume of 228,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,077. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $53.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Corporation has a one year low of $49.19 and a one year high of $59.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.01, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.59.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($1.54). Universal had a return on equity of 4.43% and a net margin of 1.12%.The firm had revenue of $715.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $728.20 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This is a boost from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Universal's payout ratio is currently 254.26%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $647,221.08. This represents a 19.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research lowered Universal from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce".

Universal Profile

Universal Corporation NYSE: UVV is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UVV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.