UNIVERSAL CORPORATION
Universal Corporation is a Virginia corporation registered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission under entity number 00164871, incorporated on 25 January 1918. Its current status on the Virginia registry is listed as active. Universal Corporation is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol UVV.
The company describes itself as a global business-to-business agri-products supplier, combining its position as the world’s largest independent leaf tobacco merchant and processor with a growing plant-based ingredients business. Universal Corporation reports its results in two segments: Tobacco Operations, which sources, processes, packs and ships leaf tobacco from flue-cured, burley, dark air-cured and oriental origins for cigarette and other tobacco-product manufacturers, and Ingredients Operations, which produces specialty plant-based ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, juices and concentrates for food and beverage customers. For the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026, Imperial Brands plc and Philip Morris International Inc., together with their respective affiliates, each accounted for 10% or more of Universal Corporation’s consolidated revenue, reflecting its role as a supplier to large multinational tobacco manufacturers rather than a consumer-facing brand.
Universal Corporation is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and, according to its fiscal 2026 Form 10-K, employed more than 25,000 people across over 30 countries on five continents, of whom approximately 45% were full-time and 55% seasonal. For the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026, the company reported consolidated revenue of approximately 2.9 billion US dollars and operating income of approximately 168.5 million US dollars. In its most recent leadership transition, Preston D. Wigner became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer effective 1 October 2024, succeeding George C. Freeman III.
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- Digitized company financials
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Shareholders
5
Shareholders of Universal Corporation
Universal Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its shares are held predominantly by institutional investment managers rather than a small group of private shareholders. According to its definitive proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as of the 4 June 2026 record date Universal Corporation had 24,925,697 shares of common stock outstanding. Under SEC disclosure rules, only holders of 5% or more of a class of voting stock must be identified by name; the proxy statement disclosed five such holders. BlackRock, Inc. was the largest, reporting beneficial ownership of 3,705,879 shares (15.0%). It was followed by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP with 1,906,609 shares (7.7%), Vanguard Portfolio Management with 1,781,041 shares (7.2%), Vanguard Capital Management with 1,251,975 shares (5.1%), and State Street Corporation with 1,239,027 shares (5.0%). These are asset managers reporting holdings on behalf of the funds and accounts they manage rather than individual owners, and the disclosure covers only the five holders that crossed the reporting threshold rather than Universal Corporation’s complete shareholder base.
Data availability
Shareholder information for Universal Corporation is best classified as major shareholders only: U.S. securities law requires disclosure of holders above the 5% threshold in proxy filings, but the identities and holdings of smaller shareholders are not individually published. This overview reflects institutional 5%-or-greater holders as reported in the 2026 proxy statement rather than a complete shareholder register, and no individual ultimate beneficial owner can be identified from institutional asset-manager filings of this kind.
Sources
- Universal Corporation, Definitive Proxy Statement (DEF 14A), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/102037/000162828026046310/uvv-20260624.htm – record date 4 June 2026, retrieved 11 September 2026.
| Shareholder | Type | Holding | Source Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Group Inc | 9.1% | Virginia State Corporation Commission | |
| iShares Trust-iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | 4.5% | Virginia State Corporation Commission | |
| Invesco Ltd. | 2.5% | Virginia State Corporation Commission | |
| iShares Trust-iShares Russell 2000 ETF | 1.8% | Virginia State Corporation Commission | |
| -SSgA SPDR ETFS Europe I-SPDR S&P Glbl Div Aristocrats UCITS ETF | 1.4% | Virginia State Corporation Commission |
Officers
5
Directors and officers of Universal Corporation
Universal Corporation’s current senior leadership consists of Preston D. Wigner, who serves as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Anubhav Mittal, who serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The company’s board of directors, as disclosed in its 2026 proxy statement, also includes Diana F. Cantor, Lennart R. Freeman, Fotini E. Manolios, Arthur J. Schick, Jr., Robert C. Sledd, Gregory A. Trojan, Thomas H. Tullidge, Jr., and Jacqueline T. Williams, with Thomas H. Johnson, the outgoing Lead Independent Director, not standing for re-election at the 2026 annual meeting. Universal Corporation is a Virginia corporation, and the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s registry does not itself publish a current, dated list of directors and executive officers for stock corporations; the officer information here is drawn from the company’s own SEC filings and public announcements rather than the state registry. Nationality is not disclosed in any of these sources for the individuals named, and country of residence is likewise not published.
Recent officer changes
- Preston D. Wigner was appointed Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer effective 1 October 2024, succeeding George C. Freeman III, who retired from those roles on 30 September 2024 and served as Senior Advisor through 31 March 2025. Source: Universal Corporation press release, 29 August 2024 (PR Newswire).
- Anubhav Mittal was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective 17 February 2026. Source: Universal Corporation press release, 21 January 2026 (Business Wire).
- Johan C. Kroner, Chief Financial Officer since approximately 2018, announced on 11 July 2025 that he would retire after 32 years with the company; he continued as Chief Financial Officer until Mittal’s appointment and then transitioned to Senior Vice President, serving as an advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and to the incoming Chief Financial Officer. Source: Universal Corporation press release, 11 July 2025 (Business Wire).
Data availability
Officer information for this Virginia-registered company is classified as partial: current appointments and recent changes are documented through SEC filings and company announcements, but the state registry does not publish a comprehensive, dated list of all current and former officers, and nationality is not disclosed for any individual named above.
Sources
- Universal Corporation, Definitive Proxy Statement (DEF 14A), SEC EDGAR, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/102037/000162828026046310/uvv-20260624.htm, filed June 2026, retrieved 11 September 2026.
- Universal Corporation, “Universal Corporation Announces Leadership Succession,” press release, 29 August 2024, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-corporation-announces-leadership-succession-302234398.html, retrieved 11 September 2026.
- Universal Corporation, “Universal Corporation Appoints Anubhav Mittal as Chief Financial Officer,” press release, 21 January 2026, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121221596/en/Universal-Corporation-Appoints-Anubhav-Mittal-as-Chief-Financial-Officer, retrieved 11 September 2026.
- Universal Corporation, “Universal Corporation Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition Plan,” press release, 11 July 2025, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250711895754/en/Universal-Corporation-Announces-Chief-Financial-Officer-Transition-Plan, retrieved 11 September 2026.
Group Structure
Group structure of Universal Corporation
Universal Corporation is the publicly traded, NYSE-listed parent of a global corporate group. No external party is identified as its immediate or ultimate parent in its SEC filings, and it is not disclosed as a subsidiary of another entity. The list of subsidiaries (Exhibit 21) filed with its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026 names 55 subsidiaries incorporated across more than 25 jurisdictions, consistent with the company’s description of tobacco-leaf and plant-based-ingredient operations spanning over 30 countries on five continents. The principal intermediate operating subsidiary for the group’s global leaf-tobacco business is Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated, a Virginia corporation, which in turn holds a number of country-level tobacco-processing subsidiaries; this tiering follows the company’s own reported group structure, cross-checked for name and jurisdiction against the SEC Exhibit 21 filing. Ownership percentages within the group are not stated in the Exhibit 21 filing, so the proportion of equity or voting control Universal Corporation holds in each subsidiary is not disclosed here.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated | United States (Virginia) | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Direct subsidiary; principal intermediate holding/operating company for global leaf tobacco operations | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| Deltafina S.r.l. | Italy | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Indirect subsidiary (held through Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| Casa Export, Limited | United States (Virginia) | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| J.P. Taylor Company, L.L.C. | United States (Virginia) | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| Zimleaf Holdings (Private) Limited | Zimbabwe | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Indirect subsidiary (held through Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| L’Agricola S.r.l. | Italy | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Indirect subsidiary (held through Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| HTL-DHT B.V. | Netherlands | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Indirect subsidiary (held through Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
| Virginia Tobacco Company, Inc. | United States (Virginia) | Not disclosed in Exhibit 21 | Direct subsidiary | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | FY2026 Form 10-K |
Data availability
Corporate-structure information for Universal Corporation is best classified as subsidiaries only: no external parent is disclosed for the company itself, and the SEC’s Exhibit 21 filing confirms the existence and jurisdiction of 55 subsidiaries but does not state ownership percentages for any of them. The direct/indirect tiering above reflects the company’s own reported group structure rather than a percentage-by-percentage independent verification.
Sources
- Universal Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026, Exhibit 21 (List of Subsidiaries), SEC EDGAR, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000102037/000162828026039511/uvv-exhibit21x03312026.htm, retrieved 11 September 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does UNIVERSAL CORPORATION do?
Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) is a global business-to-business agri-products company and one of the world's largest independent leaf tobacco merchants, also supplying plant-based food and beverage ingredients, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Who owns UNIVERSAL CORPORATION?
As of the 4 June 2026 proxy record date, Universal Corporation's disclosed 5%-or-greater shareholders were BlackRock Inc (15.0%), Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (7.7%), Vanguard Portfolio Management (7.2%), Vanguard Capital Management (5.1%) and State Street Corporation (5.0%), out of 24,925,697 shares outstanding.
Who is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner)?
Every shareholder recorded for UNIVERSAL CORPORATION is itself a company rather than a natural person, so no Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) is identified at this level; establishing one would require tracing the ownership of each shareholding company in turn.
What is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's company registration number?
UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's registration number is 00164871, filed with Virginia State Corporation Commission in United States. Its current status on the register is active.
Is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION still an active company?
UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's status on Virginia State Corporation Commission is listed as active.
When was UNIVERSAL CORPORATION incorporated?
UNIVERSAL CORPORATION was incorporated on 25 January 1918, according to Virginia State Corporation Commission.
What is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's registered address?
The registered address on file for UNIVERSAL CORPORATION is United States.
What is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's revenue?
Universal Corporation reported consolidated revenue of approximately 2.9 billion US dollars and operating income of approximately 168.5 million US dollars for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026.
Is UNIVERSAL CORPORATION listed on a stock exchange?
Universal Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol UVV.
Who are the officers/directors of UNIVERSAL CORPORATION?
Preston D. Wigner has served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer since 1 October 2024, succeeding George C. Freeman III; Anubhav Mittal has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 17 February 2026, succeeding Johan C. Kroner.
Does UNIVERSAL CORPORATION have a parent company or subsidiaries?
Universal Corporation is the NYSE-listed parent of a global group with 55 subsidiaries across more than 25 countries per its FY2026 SEC Exhibit 21 filing, including Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Incorporated as the principal intermediate operating subsidiary.
Can Zavia monitor changes to UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's ownership over time?
This profile reflects a point-in-time snapshot from Virginia State Corporation Commission. Zavia's monitoring API can track changes to UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's registered shareholders, officers, and group structure going forward, flagging updates as they're filed rather than requiring a manual recheck.
Can I access UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's data through an API?
Yes. Zavia's API connects directly to official government ownership registries across 195 countries and territories, including United States, so records like UNIVERSAL CORPORATION's registration, shareholder, UBO, and group-structure data can be queried programmatically instead of viewed one page at a time.
Where does this company information come from, and how current is it?
This record is sourced directly from Virginia State Corporation Commission and was last synced on 9 September 2026.