Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Shares Purchased by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 183.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 53,600 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,659 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $2,772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Universal by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 12,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $820,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal by 242.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal by 71.9% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its position in shares of Universal by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 21,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Universal by 81.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV stock traded up $0.74 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.56. 212,188 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 232,237. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.31. Universal Co. has a 1-year low of $44.40 and a 1-year high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 0.80.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.35% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The company had revenue of $770.86 million during the quarter.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.16%. This is a positive change from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

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.