Universal (UVV) Declares $0.80 Dividend
Universal said on May 24, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share ($3.20 annualized). Previously, the company paid $0.79 per share.
Shares must be purchased before the ex-div date of July 7, 2023 to qualify for the dividend. Shareholders of record as of July 10, 2023 will receive the payment on August 7, 2023.
At the current share price of $53.68 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 5.96%.
Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 5.83%, the lowest has been 4.35%, and the highest has been 7.88%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.77 (n=235).
The current dividend yield is 0.16 standard deviations above the historical average.
Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.81. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.
The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.04%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.
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What is the Fund Sentiment?
There are 442 funds or institutions reporting positions in Universal. This is a decrease of 12 owner(s) or 2.64% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to UVV is 0.14%, a decrease of 5.11%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 1.16% to 23,076K shares. 
The put/call ratio of UVV is 0.41, indicating a bullish outlook.
What are Other Shareholders Doing?
IJR - iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF holds 1,786K shares representing 7.27% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 1,820K shares, representing a decrease of 1.90%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in UVV by 4.50% over the last quarter.
Invesco holds 1,228K shares representing 5.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 1,164K shares, representing an increase of 5.22%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in UVV by 90.68% over the last quarter.
Pzena Investment Management holds 958K shares representing 3.90% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 728K shares, representing an increase of 23.96%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in UVV by 27.94% over the last quarter.
PEY - Invesco High Yield Equity Dividend Achievers ETF holds 767K shares representing 3.12% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 789K shares, representing a decrease of 2.76%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in UVV by 10.04% over the last quarter.
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 727K shares representing 2.96% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 710K shares, representing an increase of 2.39%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in UVV by 8.52% over the last quarter.
Universal Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)
Universal Corporation operates in more than 30 countries spanning five continents. Our primary subsidiary, Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated, is responsible for the largest portion of the company's business, the procurement and processing of a variety of leaf tobaccos for and providing supply chain services to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products. Universal Corp, is the leading global supplier of leaf tobacco and also have other agro-related businesses that fit with its core competencies.
Key filings for this company:
This story originally appeared on Fintel.