Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Pinebridge Investments L.P.

Pinebridge Investments L.P. trimmed its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 949,271 shares of the company's stock after selling 62,401 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned 0.06% of Altria Group worth $49,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 4,581 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 5,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing 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 worth $330,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 4.8% during 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 currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MO traded down $0.43 on Friday, reaching $58.28. The company had a trading volume of 5,677,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,816,692. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.53 billion, a PE ratio of 8.90, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.76 and a 52-week high of $60.18. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $57.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 target price on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $55.00.

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.