Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Position Boosted by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,190,556 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 49,922 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 0.13% of Altria Group worth $114,544,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO traded down $1.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $56.05. 16,322,328 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,941,049. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $55.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.80. The company has a market cap of $94.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.65 and a 52 week high of $60.18.

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Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.28%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Altria Group 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.