Edgestream Partners L.P. Makes New Investment in Universal Corporation $UVV

Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 9,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $508,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Universal by 180.5% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 438,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,517,000 after acquiring an additional 281,920 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Universal by 1,575.1% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 279,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,591,000 after purchasing an additional 262,399 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Universal by 98.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,500,000 after purchasing an additional 155,244 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Universal by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 815,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,579,000 after purchasing an additional 142,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Universal during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,131,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UVV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total transaction of $153,971.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at $647,221.08. The trade was a 19.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Universal Price Performance

Shares of UVV opened at $52.74 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $52.79 and its 200-day moving average is $53.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.88, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.60. Universal Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $49.19 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38.

Universal (NYSE:UVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($1.54). Universal had a return on equity of 4.43% and a net margin of 1.12%.The company had revenue of $715.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $728.20 million. Equities research analysts expect that Universal Corporation will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 13th were given a $0.83 dividend. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 13th. This is a positive change from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Universal’s payout ratio is currently 257.36%.

About Universal

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global agribusiness company primarily engaged in the procurement, processing and sale of leaf tobacco. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company sources cured leaf tobacco from key growing regions in North and South America, Africa and Asia. Universal serves major multinational tobacco manufacturers by providing a full range of services including inventory management, quality control and logistics support to ensure a consistent and reliable supply of tobacco leaf.

In addition to its core leaf tobacco operations, Universal offers integrated supply-chain services that encompass warehousing, distribution and ingredient sourcing for smokeless and novel tobacco products.