Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Short Interest Update

Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 532,300 shares, an increase of 25.5% from the February 28th total of 424,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 147,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Universal Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE UVV opened at $55.75 on Thursday. Universal has a 1-year low of $45.19 and a 1-year high of $59.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 0.79.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 14th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Institutional Trading of Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Universal by 23.2% during the third quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 10,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,909 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Universal by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 542,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,822,000 after purchasing an additional 24,089 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Universal by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 25,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 4,935 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Universal by 438.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 9,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Universal by 85.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 10,155 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.