Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stake in Universal Corporation $UVV

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Universal Corporation by 0.6%, owning 2,929,721 shares worth approximately $164.2 million at the end of the last quarter.
• Universal Corporation recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, which will be paid on November 3rd and represents a 5.9% dividend yield.
• Several hedge funds significantly boosted their positions in Universal, including TrueMark Investments LLC, which raised its stake by 227% during the first quarter.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,929,721 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,170 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 11.85% of Universal worth $164,211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal by 828.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 771 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Universal by 38.6% in the 1st 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 stake in Universal in the 1st quarter valued at about $202,000. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in Universal in the 1st quarter valued at about $233,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Universal by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on UVV. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Universal presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Insider Transactions at Universal

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

Universal Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:UVV traded up $0.7940 on Friday, reaching $56.6240. The stock had a trading volume of 221,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,709. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.78, a P/E/G ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm's fifty day moving average is $56.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.94. Universal Corporation has a 12-month low of $49.40 and a 12-month high of $67.33.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

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

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.