Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 1,404 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 21.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,821 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,404 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Universal were worth $377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boston Partners bought a new position in Universal in the first quarter valued at $12,273,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 183.0% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 53,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,772,000 after acquiring an additional 34,659 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Universal in the fourth quarter worth $1,644,000. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Universal by 17.6% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 161,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,357,000 after acquiring an additional 24,156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the 1st quarter valued at about $903,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV stock opened at $51.66 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $51.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.55. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. Universal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $44.40 and a fifty-two week high of $67.80.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.92% and a net margin of 4.31%. The company had revenue of $597.05 million for the quarter.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 4th. Investors of record on Monday, October 14th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 11th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.92%.

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.