8,351 Shares in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Bought by Chesapeake Capital Corp IL

Chesapeake Capital Corp IL acquired a new stake in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Universal by 80.1% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 5,352 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the first quarter worth about $142,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Universal by 6,325.9% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 3,416 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Universal by 183.0% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 53,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,772,000 after buying an additional 34,659 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Universal by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 19,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,025,000 after buying an additional 1,573 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Universal Stock Up 2.1 %

UVV stock opened at $54.45 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 0.77. Universal Co. has a one year low of $45.19 and a one year high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.60. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $51.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.99.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.95%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. Universal’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

Universal announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.