Bank of New York Mellon Corp Reduces Position in Universal Corporation $UVV

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 30th, 2026

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its stake in Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV – Free Report) by 6.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 333,423 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,123 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Universal were worth $17,571,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UVV. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Universal by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in Universal by 1,634.4% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Universal by 265.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Universal in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 81.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert C. Sledd sold 2,845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $153,971.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,959 shares in the company, valued at $647,221.08. This trade represents a 19.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Universal Price Performance

UVV stock opened at $54.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 3.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Universal Corporation has a 52-week low of $49.19 and a 52-week high of $59.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.38.

Universal (NYSE:UVV – Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 4.43%. The business had revenue of $715.24 million during 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 year.

Universal Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, July 13th will be given a $0.83 dividend. This is an increase from Universal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 13th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Universal’s dividend payout ratio is 257.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UVV shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Universal from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Universal from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on UVV

About Universal

(Free Report)

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.