Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Purchased by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,229 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,113 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.26% of Universal worth $3,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Universal in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Universal by 57.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC acquired a new position in shares of Universal in the 3rd quarter valued at $119,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal by 5,210.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 2,397 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Universal by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of UVV opened at $53.66 on Friday. Universal Co. has a twelve month low of $45.19 and a twelve month high of $59.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.14.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued 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 6.04%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Universal announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.