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

Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P owned about 0.11% of Universal worth $1,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UVV. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Universal by 82.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 250 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Universal in the second quarter valued at about $43,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Universal in the second quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Universal by 145.2% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UVV opened at $57.12 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $52.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.17. Universal Co. has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $67.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.77.

Universal announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 13th will be given 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 payout ratio is 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.