New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 1,300 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,247 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.18% of Universal worth $2,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UVV. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 28,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. SteelPeak Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 4,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 14,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. Fulcrum Equity Management grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 4.5% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 8,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Universal by 57.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of Universal stock opened at $53.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.80. Universal Co. has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $59.13. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.05.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.09%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.67%.

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