Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 74.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,612 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,652 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $88,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Universal by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 995,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,580,000 after acquiring an additional 201,185 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Universal by 80.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 135,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,434,000 after buying an additional 60,580 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,913,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,779,000 after buying an additional 38,940 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Universal by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 285,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,672,000 after buying an additional 38,914 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 148.5% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 62,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,405,000 after buying an additional 37,141 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:UVV opened at $59.26 on Monday. Universal Co. has a 1 year low of $45.19 and a 1 year high of $59.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $55.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 0.71.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $937.19 million during the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 8.92%.

Universal Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 14th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.53%. This is an increase from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 14th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.54%.

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.