SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Universal Corporation $UVV

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 130.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,016 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,608 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.10% of Universal worth $1,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Universal by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Universal during the third quarter worth $63,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 14,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $825,000 after buying an additional 2,801 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Universal by 17.9% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Universal during the third quarter valued at about $709,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $52.34 on Wednesday. Universal Corporation has a one year low of $49.96 and a one year high of $67.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $53.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.62.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by ($0.57). Universal had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 6.49%. The firm had revenue of $861.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $927.20 million.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th 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 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.76%.

Key Headlines Impacting Universal

Here are the key news stories impacting Universal this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UVV’s balance-sheet metrics are solid for the tobacco-leaf merchant business: current ratio ~2.9, quick ratio ~1.3 and modest leverage (debt/equity ~0.40). Valuation is moderate (PE ~15.4), which can support investor interest if results stabilize. MarketBeat: UVV profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Major takeover headlines: Pershing Square (Bill Ackman) submitted an unsolicited proposal for Universal Music Group (UMG). This is a large M&A story for UMG, not Universal Corporation, but broad media coverage can generate ticker/name confusion and short-term trading noise. PR Newswire: UMG proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: Follow-up coverage and deal details (price, structure, potential NY listing) are driving heavy headlines across outlets; again, these moves pertain to UMG and may lift volatility in broadly labeled “Universal” newsfeeds but do not change UVV’s operations. FT: Ackman Pershing offer
• Neutral Sentiment: Other “Universal” company headlines (e.g., analyst coverage on Universal Display (OLED) and micro‑cap moves in companies named “Universal”) add to ticker-name noise across news aggregators and scanners; these are unrelated to UVV but can trigger automated/retail trading activity. InsiderMonkey: Universal Display coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Direct company weakness: UVV reported quarterly EPS of $1.35 vs. consensus ~$1.92 and revenue $861.3M vs. ~$927.2M, indicating near-term margin and top-line pressure (net margin ~2.9%, ROE ~6.5%). That earnings miss is the likeliest driver of the stock weakness tied to fundamentals. MarketBeat: UVV earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/flow factors: recent intraday volume is near average but the stock sits below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages (~$53.50), which may keep selling pressure or limit near‑term rebounds until fundamentals or catalysts change. MarketBeat: UVV chart/data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.