UBS Group AG Boosts Stock Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

UBS Group AG lifted its position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV – Get Rating) by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,358 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,992 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.21% of Universal worth $2,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Universal by 47.9% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 713 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Universal during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Universal during the 2nd quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Universal by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.02% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, TheStreet raised Universal from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Theodore G. Broome sold 5,000 shares of Universal stock in a transaction on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.45, for a total value of $267,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,084,443.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UVV opened at $51.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.89. The stock has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30 and a beta of 0.75. Universal Co. has a 1 year low of $43.64 and a 1 year high of $64.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 3.26.

Universal (NYSE:UVV – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $795.04 million during the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 6.94% and a net margin of 3.81%.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.17%. Universal’s payout ratio is 82.08%.

Universal Company Profile

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Universal Corp. is a business-to-business agro-products supplier to consumer product manufacturers that sources and processes leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients. It operates through the following segments: Tobacco Operations and Ingredients Operations. The Tobacco Operations segment includes selecting, procuring, processing, packing, storing, shipping, and financing leaf tobacco for sale to, or for the account of, manufacturers of consumer tobacco products throughout the world.