First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stake in Universal Corporation $UVV

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 35.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 353,655 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 92,617 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Universal were worth $18,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. now owns 8,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $457,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal by 67.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $54.86 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $52.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.53, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.59. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.19 and a 1-year high of $59.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 1.66.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($1.54). The firm had revenue of $715.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $728.20 million. Universal had a return on equity of 4.43% and a net margin of 1.12%. Sell-side analysts expect that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. This is a boost from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 257.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on UVV shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.