Franklin Resources Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,611 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,810 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Universal were worth $637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 438.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 9,181 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 6.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,730,000 after purchasing an additional 71,773 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in Universal by 30.4% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after buying an additional 11,612 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Universal by 341.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,155,000 after acquiring an additional 31,370 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 566,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,085,000 after acquiring an additional 3,578 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE UVV opened at $50.85 on Thursday. Universal Co. has a 1 year low of $45.19 and a 1 year high of $59.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.83 and a 200 day moving average of $53.43.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Universal Company 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.