TrueMark Investments LLC Decreases Position in Universal Corporation $UVV

TrueMark Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) by 12.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 84,899 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,311 shares during the quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC’s holdings in Universal were worth $4,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UVV. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Universal by 38.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Universal during the first quarter worth $202,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in Universal during the first quarter worth $233,000. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Universal during the second quarter worth $255,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UVV. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Universal in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Universal from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Universal to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Universal currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Universal Stock Performance

NYSE UVV opened at $53.68 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $54.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.17. Universal Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.40 and a twelve month high of $67.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 8.46% and a net margin of 3.51%.The firm had revenue of $593.76 million for the quarter.

Universal Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, October 13th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 79.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Airton L. Hentschke sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.94, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 135,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,423,987.26. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lennart R. Freeman sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.89, for a total value of $148,092.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,669 shares in the company, valued at $1,040,293.41. This trade represents a 12.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,417 shares of company stock worth $943,347. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.