Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Universal Corporation $UVV

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,948,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,180 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.85% of Universal worth $164,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UVV. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Universal by 5.1% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Universal by 1.0% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 22,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in Universal by 3.3% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 7,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in Universal by 5.9% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 4,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:UVV opened at $53.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.91, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.03. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.66. Universal Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.96 and a twelve month high of $67.33.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.92 by ($0.57). Universal had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 2.93%.The firm had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.20 million.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 96.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.