Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Acquired by Martingale Asset Management L P

Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 0.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 28,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Universal were worth $1,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Universal by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 17,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 438.0% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 3,973 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 145.2% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Universal by 3.1% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Up 0.8 %

UVV stock opened at $57.12 on Monday. Universal Co. has a 12 month low of $45.19 and a 12 month high of $67.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.17. 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 announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.67%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

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.