Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) Shares Sold by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management trimmed its holdings in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 44.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,701 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,305 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Universal were worth $376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,913,551 shares of the company's stock worth $159,779,000 after purchasing an additional 38,940 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal during the fourth quarter worth $1,329,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 575,128 shares of the company's stock worth $31,540,000 after purchasing an additional 32,445 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal by 7,668.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 64,401 shares of the company's stock worth $3,610,000 after purchasing an additional 63,572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Universal by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 285,111 shares of the company's stock worth $15,343,000 after purchasing an additional 15,056 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:UVV traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $59.54. The company had a trading volume of 183,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,357. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $58.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.75 and a beta of 0.78. Universal Corporation has a one year low of $46.26 and a one year high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $702.28 million during the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 7.89%.

Universal Increases Dividend

The business 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 represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 14th. This is a positive change from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Universal's payout ratio is 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research 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.