Blue Trust Inc. Sells 1,259 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 49.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,259 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Universal were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,730,000 after purchasing an additional 71,773 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 341.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 31,370 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 542,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,822,000 after purchasing an additional 24,089 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal during the 3rd quarter worth $697,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 30.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,647,000 after purchasing an additional 11,612 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $53.17 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Universal Co. has a 1-year low of $45.19 and a 1-year high of $59.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.80.

Universal declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Universal Dividend Announcement

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

Universal Company 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.