Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 28,735 Shares of Universal Corporation $UVV

Advisors Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 198,418 shares of the company's stock after selling 28,735 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.80% of Universal worth $11,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Universal by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,929,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,211,000 after acquiring an additional 16,170 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Universal by 1.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 582,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,651,000 after purchasing an additional 7,402 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Universal by 1.1% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 380,345 shares of the company's stock worth $22,151,000 after purchasing an additional 3,958 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Universal by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 340,281 shares of the company's stock worth $18,918,000 after purchasing an additional 55,170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Universal by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 265,472 shares of the company's stock worth $14,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of Universal stock opened at $51.77 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50 day moving average of $53.56 and a 200-day moving average of $55.76. Universal Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.40 and a 1-year high of $67.33.

• Disney Stock Analysis, Insights and Outlook

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $754.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $704.30 million. Universal had a net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 8.46%.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Universal's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Universal from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Universal from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Universal from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Read Our Latest Report on UVV

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.

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