First National Trust Co Sells 204 Shares of Universal Corporation $UVV

First National Trust Co lessened its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,432 shares of the company’s stock after selling 204 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Universal were worth $1,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the first quarter worth about $3,927,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Universal by 222.6% in the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 90,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,052,000 after purchasing an additional 62,198 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the first quarter worth about $3,241,000. Boston Partners raised its position in Universal by 19.4% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 340,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,918,000 after purchasing an additional 55,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Universal by 26.9% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 123,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,940,000 after purchasing an additional 26,210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Price Performance

Universal stock opened at $51.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s fifty day moving average is $54.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.17. Universal Corporation has a 52 week low of $49.40 and a 52 week high of $67.33.

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

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 13th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on UVV. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Universal to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity at Universal

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total value of $245,855.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $835,918.50. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total transaction of $148,092.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,040,293.41. This represents a 12.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 17,417 shares of company stock valued at $943,347 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

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.