Pzena Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Pzena Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,087,062 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,401 shares during the period. Pzena Investment Management LLC owned 4.43% of Universal worth $73,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Universal during the fourth quarter worth about $1,644,000. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in Universal in the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. Taylor Hoffman Wealth Management bought a new position in Universal in the fourth quarter worth about $550,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Universal by 242.0% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 383 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Universal by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,906,609 shares of the company's stock worth $128,353,000 after buying an additional 10,875 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 10th.

Universal Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE UVV traded up $0.27 on Wednesday, reaching $53.28. 179,942 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 246,871. Universal Co. has a 12 month low of $44.40 and a 12 month high of $67.80. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $51.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.90. The company has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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.