Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,141 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Universal were worth $61,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 69.1% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 273,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,169,000 after acquiring an additional 111,691 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Universal during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $12,273,000. Insight Folios Inc raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.1% in the third quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 123,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,577,000 after buying an additional 8,222 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 7.4% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 54,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,606,000 after buying an additional 3,716 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 23.7% during the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 26,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after buying an additional 5,104 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV stock opened at $57.09 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $52.17 and a 200 day moving average of $51.09. Universal Co. has a 1 year low of $45.19 and a 1 year high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.77.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Universal declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.