Raymond James & Associates Sells 1,246 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Raymond James & Associates trimmed its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,246 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Universal were worth $1,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in Universal by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 15,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares during the period. Insight Folios Inc increased its position in Universal by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 107,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,253,000 after buying an additional 4,645 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Universal by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 27,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP raised its position in Universal by 57.5% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 10th.

Universal Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:UVV opened at $50.51 on Friday. Universal Co. has a 52 week low of $44.40 and a 52 week high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 3.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.03 and its 200-day moving average is $53.74. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.79.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.98% and a return on equity of 7.46%. The business had revenue of $821.51 million for the quarter.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 5th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.26%.

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.