Universal (NYSE:UVV) Stock Price Down 4.6% - Here's Why

Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 4.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $62.27 and last traded at $62.27. 67,970 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 160,264 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Universal Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.71. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $56.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.96.

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 8.92% and a net margin of 4.31%. The firm had revenue of $702.28 million for the quarter.

Universal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Investors of record on Monday, July 14th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This is a boost from Universal's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 14th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.42%. Universal's payout ratio is 86.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Universal by 25.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 995,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,580,000 after purchasing an additional 201,185 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,927,000. TrueMark Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 227.0% during the first quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 97,210 shares of the company's stock worth $5,449,000 after purchasing an additional 67,481 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake 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. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal by 222.6% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company's stock worth $5,052,000 after purchasing an additional 62,198 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.