SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 16,141 Shares of Universal Corporation $UVV

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 67.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,157 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,141 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $2,116,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vestcor Inc lifted its stake in Universal by 282.7% in the fourth quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 33,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,755,000 after buying an additional 24,571 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 917.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 578,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,324,000 after buying an additional 521,724 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Universal by 228.4% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,144,000 after buying an additional 15,080 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 102,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,416,000 after acquiring an additional 18,106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Universal by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,983,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,402,000 after acquiring an additional 35,513 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Universal Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:UVV opened at $52.12 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.41, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Corporation has a 12-month low of $49.19 and a 12-month high of $59.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.40 and its 200 day moving average is $53.53.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($1.54). Universal had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 4.43%. The company had revenue of $715.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $728.20 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This is an increase from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Universal’s payout ratio is 254.26%.

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.