Disciplined Equity Management Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Disciplined Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Universal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $485,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in Universal by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 221,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,435,000 after purchasing an additional 2,837 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Universal by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 27,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Universal by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 5,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Universal by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 274,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,972,000 after purchasing an additional 10,949 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV traded up $0.04 on Wednesday, reaching $51.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,693,957 shares, compared to its average volume of 275,286. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $50.05 and a 200 day moving average of $53.92. Universal Co. has a twelve month low of $44.40 and a twelve month high of $67.80.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $821.51 million for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 7.46% and a net margin of 4.98%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 6th. Investors of record on Monday, April 8th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.16%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 60.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Universal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 10th.

Universal 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.