Geode Capital Management LLC Cuts Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Geode Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 560,648 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,708 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $30,753,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UVV. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Universal by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,913,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,779,000 after purchasing an additional 38,940 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Universal by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,218,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,730,000 after acquiring an additional 71,773 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 575,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,540,000 after buying an additional 32,445 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Universal by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 386,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,218,000 after purchasing an additional 27,480 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Universal by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 285,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,343,000 after purchasing an additional 15,056 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Trading Down 0.4 %

Universal stock opened at $50.85 on Thursday. Universal Co. has a 12-month low of $45.19 and a 12-month high of $59.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $53.83 and a 200 day moving average of $53.43.

Universal Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.37%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

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.