9,726 Shares in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Acquired by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $533,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Universal by 828.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 771 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Universal during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Universal by 325.7% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,758 shares of the company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Universal during the fourth quarter worth about $111,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal by 68.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,052 shares of the company's stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

UVV traded up $0.12 on Thursday, hitting $60.56. 247,462 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 162,667. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The business's fifty day moving average is $56.56 and its 200 day moving average is $54.96. Universal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.19 and a fifty-two week high of $67.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.71.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 8.92%. The company had revenue of $702.28 million for the quarter.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 14th will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 14th. This is a positive change from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.42%. Universal's dividend payout ratio is currently 86.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Universal Company 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.