Sei Investments Co. Buys 12,288 Shares of Universal Corporation $UVV

Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 77.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,189 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,288 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.11% of Universal worth $1,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Universal by 67.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in Universal by 1,634.4% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Universal in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Universal by 265.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Universal

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the sale, the director owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on UVV shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Universal has an average rating of “Hold”.

Universal Price Performance

UVV stock opened at $47.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $52.56 and a 200-day moving average of $53.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal Corporation has a 12 month low of $46.96 and a 12 month high of $59.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.60.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.43). Universal had a return on equity of 3.50% and a net margin of 0.67%.The firm had revenue of $523.78 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.00 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 12th will be issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 431.17%.

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.