Boston Partners Grows Position in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV)

Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 19.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 340,281 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 55,170 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Universal were worth $18,918,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. TrueMark Investments LLC grew its stake in Universal by 227.0% during the 1st quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 97,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,449,000 after buying an additional 67,481 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Universal by 7,668.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 64,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,610,000 after buying an additional 63,572 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 62,198 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,241,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Universal by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 285,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,672,000 after buying an additional 38,914 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of UVV stock opened at $53.46 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $56.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.84. Universal Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.40 and a twelve month high of $67.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 3.51%. The company had revenue of $593.76 million for the quarter.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 13th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In other Universal news, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of Universal stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total value of $148,092.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 31st.

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.