Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV) Short Interest Update

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Universal

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of UVV. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Universal in the fourth quarter worth about $533,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Universal by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 264,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,501,000 after purchasing an additional 13,239 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 21,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 6,936 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Universal by 103.5% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 55,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,023,000 after purchasing an additional 28,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Universal by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 21,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,180,000 after buying an additional 2,694 shares during the last quarter. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of UVV traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $56.03. 94,450 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 161,675. Universal has a twelve month low of $45.19 and a twelve month high of $59.13. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.39. 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 market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.79.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 14th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 14th. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

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.