Centiva Capital LP Sells 456 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Centiva Capital LP reduced its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,893 shares of the company’s stock after selling 456 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP’s holdings in Universal were worth $260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal by 4.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 542,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,822,000 after buying an additional 24,089 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Universal by 69.1% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 273,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,169,000 after acquiring an additional 111,691 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 221,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,774,000 after acquiring an additional 4,986 shares during the period. Insight Folios Inc grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 123,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,577,000 after purchasing an additional 8,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Universal by 7.4% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 54,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,716 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $56.32 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.81. Universal Co. has a one year low of $45.19 and a one year high of $67.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

Universal declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.