Jane Street Group LLC Has $2.65 Million Stock Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) by 30.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,849 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,612 shares during the quarter. Jane Street Group LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Universal worth $2,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Universal by 1.6% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in Universal by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its stake in shares of Universal by 0.7% in the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 28,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,505,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Keene & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Universal by 3.2% during the second quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 7,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $338,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Universal by 6.6% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 4,648 shares of the company's stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Universal Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UVV traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.63. 594,076 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 192,923. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.24 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $53.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.92. Universal Co. has a 52 week low of $45.19 and a 52 week high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Universal Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 13th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.93%. Universal's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Universal declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.