Sepio Capital LP Sells 4,660 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Sepio Capital LP lessened its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,430 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,660 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP's holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $56.59. The company had a trading volume of 5,519,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,006,989. The company has a market capitalization of $95.68 billion, a PE ratio of 8.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $56.07 and a 200 day moving average of $53.96. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.65 and a 12 month high of $60.18.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company 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 $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.21%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 62.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on MO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.