Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Bought by Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC

Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,507 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in 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. AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal by 41.7% during the second quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 850 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the second quarter worth about $43,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Universal during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Performance

UVV stock opened at $57.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal Co. has a 12-month low of $45.19 and a 12-month high of $67.80.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.67%.

Universal announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.