Universal Corporation $UVV Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers cut its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 5.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 61,019 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,210 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.25% of Universal worth $3,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Universal by 38.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Universal by 8.6% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 15,155 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Universal in the first quarter worth approximately $281,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter worth approximately $624,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted 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 worth $1,475,000 after buying an additional 8,271 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:UVV opened at $54.94 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Universal Corporation has a 52-week low of $49.40 and a 52-week high of $67.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $55.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.20. The company has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 79.81%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 4,617 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.25, for a total transaction of $245,855.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $835,918.50. This represents a 22.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total value of $148,092.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,417 shares of company stock worth $943,347. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.