Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 566,356 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,578 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.29% of Universal worth $30,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 82.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Universal during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Universal by 57.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC purchased a new position in shares of Universal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $119,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Universal Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of UVV stock opened at $54.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $54.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.04. Universal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.19 and a fifty-two week high of $67.80. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Universal declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.