Universal Corporation $UVV Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 863,260 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113,155 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Universal were worth $50,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Universal by 1.6% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 16,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 15,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $874,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 6,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its position in shares of Universal by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 6,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV opened at $52.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.42. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.68. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.40 and a 1-year high of $67.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.18. Universal had a net margin of 3.74% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The firm had revenue of $754.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $704.30 million.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

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.