Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Mizuho Bank Ltd.

Mizuho Bank Ltd. trimmed its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $89,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Altria Group Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $56.05 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.78. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.65 and a twelve month high of $60.18. The company has a market capitalization of $94.77 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. 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 7.28%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

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.