Universal Corporation $UVV Stake Lessened by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 13.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,628 shares of the company’s stock after selling 424 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal were worth $147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 45.8% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 8,271 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in Universal during the first quarter worth about $233,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Universal in the first quarter worth about $702,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Universal by 26.9% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 123,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,940,000 after acquiring an additional 26,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the 1st quarter valued at about $443,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total value of $245,855.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $835,918.50. This trade represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of Universal stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total transaction of $148,092.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Universal Price Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $53.96 on Tuesday. Universal Corporation has a 1 year low of $49.40 and a 1 year high of $67.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $56.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 2.49.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 8.46%. The firm had revenue of $593.76 million for the quarter.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 13th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. Universal’s payout ratio is presently 79.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st.

About Universal

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.