Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Keybank National Association OH

Keybank National Association OH reduced its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 127,817 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,826 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH's holdings in Altria Group were worth $6,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 40,362 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc lifted its position in Altria Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 6,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 3.5% in the third quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,851 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp lifted its position in Altria Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.29.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $55.95 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.65 and a 52-week high of $58.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $52.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.01. The firm has a market cap of $94.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.29%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.29%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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