Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Has $2.04 Million Stock Position in Universal Corporation $UVV

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 142.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,477 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,462 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $2,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Universal by 5.1% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Universal by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 16,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Universal by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 80,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,681,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Universal by 12.7% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.2% during the second quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 6,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UVV opened at $53.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.40 and a 1-year high of $67.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $52.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.84.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.18. Universal had a net margin of 3.74% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The company had revenue of $754.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $704.30 million.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Universal’s payout ratio is presently 73.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UVV shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Universal Company Profile

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.