Universal Corporation $UVV Shares Acquired by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 27.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,299 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 16,802 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board owned approximately 0.32% of Universal worth $4,389,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 828.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 771 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 38.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Universal during the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in Universal during the first quarter worth about $233,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Universal Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of UVV traded up $0.5130 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $54.5830. 205,453 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 308,200. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.87. Universal Corporation has a 52-week low of $49.40 and a 52-week 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.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Universal's payout ratio is 79.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st.

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.