Universal (NYSE:UVV) Board Initiates Stock Buyback Program

Universal (NYSE:UVV) announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th, RTT News reports. The company plans to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV stock opened at $53.08 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $51.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.92. Universal has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $67.80.

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

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.10%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Universal Company 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.