Wintrust Investments LLC Trims Holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Wintrust Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 60.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,007 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,101 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in Universal by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,730,000 after acquiring an additional 71,773 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Universal by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 575,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,540,000 after acquiring an additional 32,445 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Universal by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 566,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,085,000 after acquiring an additional 3,578 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Universal by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 386,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,218,000 after acquiring an additional 27,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Universal by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 221,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,774,000 after acquiring an additional 4,986 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

Universal stock opened at $54.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27 and a beta of 0.79. Universal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.19 and a fifty-two week high of $59.13.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.92%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Universal 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.