SG Americas Securities LLC Has $2.12 Million Position in Universal Corporation $UVV

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 67.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,157 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,141 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.16% of Universal worth $2,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 1,634.4% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 265.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Universal during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UVV has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research lowered Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings cut Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of UVV opened at $52.12 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $53.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.53. Universal Corporation has a 12 month low of $49.19 and a 12 month high of $59.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 40.41, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($1.54). The company had revenue of $715.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $728.20 million. Universal had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 4.43%. On average, analysts anticipate that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 13th. This is a positive change from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 254.26%.

About Universal

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.