Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) Short Interest Up 86.9% in July

Key Points

• Short interest in Universal Corporation surged by 86.9% in July, reaching a total of 632,900 shares, indicating increased bearish sentiment among investors.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82, slightly up from the previous $0.81, representing an annualized yield of 6.1%.
• Institutional ownership accounts for 81.00% of Universal's stock, suggesting strong backing from large financial investors.

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 632,900 shares, agrowthof86.9% from the June 30th total of 338,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 283,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently,2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently,2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 283,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Universal Stock Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $54.00 on Wednesday. Universal has a 1-year low of $49.05 and a 1-year high of $67.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.99 and a 200-day moving average of $55.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 0.74.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 3.22%. The business had revenue of $702.28 million for the quarter.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 4th. Investors of record on Monday, July 14th were issued a $0.82 dividend. This is a positive change from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 14th. Universal's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 86.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in Universal by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 6,186 shares of the company's stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 1.6% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 16,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $978,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Universal by 2.0% in the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 15,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $874,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Universal by 38.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp increased its position in Universal by 7.2% in the second quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 6,059 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

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.

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