TrueMark Investments LLC Has $5.45 Million Stake in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)

TrueMark Investments LLC increased its position in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 227.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,210 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 67,481 shares during the quarter. Universal accounts for approximately 1.4% of TrueMark Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. TrueMark Investments LLC owned approximately 0.39% of Universal worth $5,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UVV. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Universal by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 64,229 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,522,000 after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 119,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,564,000 after buying an additional 3,338 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,219 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 386,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,218,000 after buying an additional 27,480 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Universal Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:UVV traded up $1.07 on Thursday, reaching $59.52. 354,634 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 167,975. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75 and a beta of 0.78. The company's 50 day moving average is $58.68 and its 200-day moving average is $55.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $46.26 and a 1-year high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 14th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 14th. This is an increase from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Universal's dividend payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

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.