Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Universal Corporation $UVV

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Corporation by 1.3%, bringing their total ownership to approximately $32.65 million as of the latest filing.
• Universal Corporation announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, payable on November 3rd, representing a 6.0% yield.
• Recent earnings reported a $0.38 earnings per share with revenues reaching $593.76 million, indicating a return on equity of 8.46%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 582,530 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,402 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 2.36% of Universal worth $32,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UVV. TrueMark Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Universal by 227.0% in the first quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 97,210 shares of the company's stock worth $5,449,000 after acquiring an additional 67,481 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 63,572 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Universal by 222.6% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company's stock worth $5,052,000 after acquiring an additional 62,198 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Universal by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 285,785 shares of the company's stock worth $15,672,000 after acquiring an additional 38,914 shares during the period. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the fourth quarter worth $1,622,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of Universal stock traded up $0.7940 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $56.6240. 221,581 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,709. Universal Corporation has a 1 year low of $49.40 and a 1 year high of $67.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $56.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

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 net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The business had revenue of $593.76 million during the quarter.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Universal's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold".

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.