Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Plans Dividend Increase – $0.82 Per Share

Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, May 21st, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, July 14th will be given a dividend of 0.82 per share on Monday, August 4th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.66%. This is a 1.2% increase from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81.

Universal has raised its dividend by an average of 1.3% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 55 consecutive years.

Universal Stock Down 0.4%

UVV stock opened at $57.95 on Thursday. Universal has a 12 month low of $45.19 and a 12 month high of $59.83. The firm has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 0.71. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.42.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter. Universal had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 8.92%. The firm had revenue of $937.19 million for the quarter.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Universal by 20.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 24,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,349,000 after buying an additional 4,124 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Universal during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,927,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Universal by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 36,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after acquiring an additional 7,261 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 8.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 24,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,976 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Universal by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 24,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after buying an additional 3,795 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

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.