Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Announces $0.81 Quarterly Dividend

Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 5th,RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of 0.81 per share on Monday, May 5th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.19%.

Universal has raised its dividend payment by an average of 1.3% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 35 years.

Universal Stock Down 0.1 %

UVV traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $52.37. 99,346 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,590. Universal has a 12 month low of $45.19 and a 12 month high of $59.13. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $53.99 and its 200-day moving average is $53.01.

Universal announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign 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.