Sigma Planning Corp Buys 646 Shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,219 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Universal were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UVV. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Universal in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Universal by 57.8% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $119,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Universal by 5,210.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 2,397 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,303 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Stock Up 1.3 %

Universal stock opened at $53.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Universal Co. has a twelve month low of $45.19 and a twelve month high of $59.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $52.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.14.

Universal declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, November 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Investors of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 66.67%.

About Universal

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.