Blue Trust Inc. Raises Holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 145.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,533 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Universal were worth $135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Universal in the first quarter valued at approximately $12,273,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 69.1% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 273,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,169,000 after buying an additional 111,691 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 183.0% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 53,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,772,000 after buying an additional 34,659 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal during the first quarter worth $903,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Universal during the first quarter worth $534,000. 81.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Stock Down 0.6 %

UVV opened at $49.90 on Monday. Universal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $44.40 and a fifty-two week high of $67.80. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $52.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.77.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $597.05 million for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 8.92%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Monday, October 14th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 11th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. Universal’s payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

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.