Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Holdings Lifted by Captrust Financial Advisors

Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,066 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Universal were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 28,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Universal by 85.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 10,155 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in Universal by 438.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 9,181 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal by 9.2% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 8,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Universal by 24.6% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 25,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 4,935 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock opened at $56.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Universal Co. has a one year low of $45.19 and a one year high of $67.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $53.45 and its 200-day moving average is $51.56.

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

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.