Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Sold by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates reduced its position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,246 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.10% of Universal worth $1,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 597,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,696,000 after buying an additional 23,204 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 4.5% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 22,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,324,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Universal by 10.3% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 7,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,000 after buying an additional 703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Universal by 52.0% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 13,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $804,000 after purchasing an additional 4,737 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV opened at $50.51 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $50.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.74. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 1.29. Universal Co. has a 12 month low of $44.40 and a 12 month high of $67.80.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter. The firm 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 8th will be issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.34%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.26%.

About Universal

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.