Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 185,934 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Intech Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 39.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 290,314 shares of the company's stock after selling 185,934 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $15,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 73,481,686 shares of the company's stock worth $3,821,831,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910,738 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 59,805,286 shares of the company's stock worth $3,127,218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,972 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,803,759 shares of the company's stock worth $2,079,919,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,605 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,488,007 shares of the company's stock worth $234,678,000 after purchasing an additional 93,121 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 4,232,359 shares of the company's stock worth $221,310,000 after purchasing an additional 197,945 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.46. 33,829,726 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,595,164. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $54.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.47. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.65 and a twelve month high of $59.67. The firm has a market cap of $97.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.10%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $53.29.

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.