Universal (NYSE:UVV) Director Sells $88,779.24 in Stock

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) Director Lennart Freeman sold 1,782 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total value of $88,779.24. Following the sale, the director owned 16,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $843,701.70. This trade represents a 9.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Universal Stock Performance

NYSE:UVV traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $46.34. The stock had a trading volume of 428,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,319. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.20. Universal Corporation has a 12-month low of $46.19 and a 12-month high of $59.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.60.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $523.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.00 million. Universal had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 3.50%. On average, equities analysts expect that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Universal’s payout ratio is presently 431.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vestcor Inc grew its stake in shares of Universal by 282.7% during the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 33,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,755,000 after purchasing an additional 24,571 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the first quarter valued at about $4,220,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 35.5% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 353,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,638,000 after purchasing an additional 92,617 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Universal during the first quarter worth about $585,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,402,000 after acquiring an additional 35,513 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Company 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.