Boston Partners Increases Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 285,111 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,056 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.15% of Universal worth $15,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in Universal by 6.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,730,000 after buying an additional 71,773 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Universal by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 575,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,540,000 after buying an additional 32,445 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 341.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 40,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,155,000 after buying an additional 31,370 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Universal by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 386,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,218,000 after buying an additional 27,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Universal during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,329,000. 81.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $55.20 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $53.03 and a 200 day moving average of $53.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal Co. has a twelve month low of $45.19 and a twelve month high of $59.13. The firm has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 0.79.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 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.